Antique Japanese Ginbari Cloisonné Vase | Silver Foil Floral Enamel c.1900-1930

A beautiful antique Japanese Ginbari cloisonné cabinet vase, dating to the early 20th century and decorated with a wonderfully luminous floral design.

The vase features a large pink and crimson flower surrounded by rich green foliage, smaller purple blossoms and delicate branches. The decoration is particularly striking against the shimmering silver-white ground.

Ginbari is a distinctive Japanese enamelling technique in which finely textured metallic foil is applied beneath translucent enamel. Here the foil has an intricate repeating fan-like texture which catches and reflects the light, giving the surface remarkable depth and an almost jewel-like appearance.

The vase is finished with dark metal rims to the neck and foot and has an unmarked metal base. No maker’s mark has been identified, so the vase is being offered as an unmarked Japanese example rather than attributed to a particular workshop.

Date: Early 20th century, approximately c.1900-1930
Origin: Japan
Technique: Ginbari cloisonné / foil-backed translucent enamel
Decoration: Floral
Height: 12 cm (4.72 inches)
Maximum diameter: approximately 5.5 cm (2.17 inches)

Condition

A genuine antique piece showing age-related wear.

There are a number of fine hairlines and areas of crazing within the enamel, particularly visible across the silver ginbari ground. There are also small marks and signs of age to the metalwork and enamel surface.

The colourful floral decoration remains wonderfully vibrant and the textured silver foil ground retains its beautiful reflective quality.

The close-up photographs have deliberately been taken to show the condition clearly, so please study all images carefully as they form an important part of the description.

Despite its age-related condition, this remains a very attractive example of Japanese ginbari work. Its compact size and luminous silver ground make it particularly appealing as a cabinet piece and it would sit beautifully alongside other Japanese Meiji, Taishō and early 20th-century cloisonné.

A lovely piece of Japanese decorative art with considerably more character in person as the textured silver ground changes with the light.