An exceptional Japanese Kyoto Satsuma vase from the late Meiji period, made by the celebrated Kinkozan workshop of Kyoto, distinguished by its unusually refined execution, rare rounded form and beautifully preserved surface decoration. This is not an ordinary export Satsuma vase, but a highly decorative and technically accomplished object, made with the care, balance and visual richness associated with one of the finest Kyoto workshops of the late nineteenth century.The vase is decorated with a continuous naturalistic composition of birds, flowers, butterflies and insects, set against a warm cream ground covered with an extraordinarily dense field of fine gilt dots. The effect is luminous and delicate: the gold does not merely decorate the surface, but creates depth, movement and atmosphere around the painted subjects. The birds are especially finely handled, with carefully shaded wings and lively posture, while the flowers are enriched with raised moriage details of remarkable pro...