A square tripod incense burner or perfume burner in Satsuma porcelain, richly decorated in polychrome and gold enamels. The upper half of the bowl''s circumference features drawings of four scenes: a group of girls studying in kimonos, haloed figures of masters gathered around a child (their pupil) in front of a pagoda, a family gathered in a house, and a group of haloed scholars. Each face is carefully drawn to look natural. The lower part of the bowl is decorated with a pattern of three ball-shaped pieces. The Satsuma clan mark, slightly worn, is on the base. This piece is export ware, made for Europe or the USA.The bowl is an earthenware piece with enamel overglaze adorned with multicolored and gilded decorations, and is of a type often referred to as Satsuma ware. Satsuma ware pieces were originally developed in Japan during the seventeenth century, specifically in the southern regions of the Japanese island of Kyushu. The name comes from the region controlled by the Shimazu cl...