Ritas Bazaar has dated this Japanese Sumida Gawa Vase to the 1910s.
The neck and shoulder are sheathed in a lustrous aubergine-black flambé glaze shot with purple, lilac and cream, pooling and dripping in heavy runs down over a matte iron-red slip ground in the manner of Chinese Shiwan (Shekwan) wares; the red ground retains the warm, slightly mottled tone characteristic of the studio.
Applied and modelled in high relief to the front is a group of figures clambering over dark applied rockwork — a bald, ochre-robed elder reaching upward, a second figure below in a pale robe with underglaze-blue detailing, and a further green-robed figure to the side — interspersed with white ovoid eggs and a draped white cloth.
The vase stands 30.7 cm high — an unusually tall example of the form — and measures 13 cm in width and 11.5 cm in depth, weighing 1110 g. In good antique condition with honest age-related wear consistent with period use; note that the upper figure lacks the left hand, the lower figure has restoration to the left arm and left leg, and there is a chip to the base, all visible in the photographs. Please carefully regard all photos as they make an integral part of the listing, and reach out if there are any questions.
Ritas Bazaar has dated this Japanese Sumida Gawa Vase to the 1910s.
You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Ritas Bazaar Profile Page
Tall Japanese Sumida Gawa Vase by Inoue Ryōsai, Sages on a Cliff, Meiji–Taishō c. 1900
