Vase made of silver and shibuichi with enamels, inlaid with non-ferrous metals and alloys, with an image of a bird on flowering branches, height 24.3 cm, master Kogyokusai Katsuhisa, Ozeki company, late 19th century.
Ozeki, owned by Ozeki Sadajiro and his father Ozeki Yahei, specialized in the production and export of high-quality Japanese art during the Meiji era (1868-1912).
This exceptional pair of Japanese Meiji Period (1868 1912) silver and base metal inlaid Snake vases were created by the esteemed Ozeki Company of Yokohama.The elegant shape of these tulip necked vases is made from solid silver with a dark blue patina (shibuichi) on the bottom.
The company’s history began with the opening of the Musashiya store in Yokohama in the late 1850s, and by the 1870s, Ozeki participated in the first National Industrial Exhibition. It was under this brand that the company began to participate in international exhibitions in Europe and North America. The company became one of the largest exporters of high-quality silver and other metal products, commissioning works from the best craftsmen of their time: Unno Moritoshi, Yamada Motonobu, Kaneyasu Masatoshi, Ikeda Minkoku – all of them appeared at exhibitions under the Ozeki brand. These works do not always have the signature of the master, only the company’s stamp. This was a common practice at the time for large companies to promote their own brand.
The slender neck in the shape of a bud with a gold bow at the bottom is decorated with exquisite polychrome floral motifs in cloisonné enamel, and the snakes, executed with amazing detail, are attached freely without the use of soldering. The particular care in the execution of the vases suggests that they were made to special order.
By the 1880s, the company had expanded significantly and was producing fine enamel wares, bronze, ceramic and lacquer furnishings. It is believed that the company remained in business until 1926.
Yamada Motonobu, one of the finest metalworkers of the late 19th century, came from a family of craftsmen who served as swordsmiths for the Tokugawa clan, which ruled the Mito domain 70 miles northeast of Edo (Tokyo). He began his metalworking apprenticeship at the age of 13, and was registered as an employee of the imperial household in 1877. After the sword ban of 1876, export companies including the Ozeki provided opportunities for craftsmen like Motonobu to apply their unrivaled skill to crafting art objects aimed at the overseas market.
The relief classical floral compositions on the body of the vases with peonies, wisteria and chrysanthemums are made of gold, silver, copper and alloys.
Each of these vases, familiar to Europeans in shape, is decorated with traditional Japanese painting images of chrysanthemums inlaid with gold, silver, copper and their alloys. The neck and base of each vase are made of shakudo alloy, which gives the product a deep black color.
A famous master of the first half of the 19th century, Hagiya Katsuhira (1804-1886) was born as Terakado Yasuke in Mito, a historical center of weapons production. In adulthood, he took his name from a combination of the names of his teachers and subsequently became one of the most outstanding artists and teachers of the Mito school. Among his students were such renowned masters as Unno Shōmin (1844-1915) and Kano Natsuo (1828-1898). Hagiya died in 1886 at the age of 83. Remarkably, his son Suzuki Katsuhiro I died a month earlier, at the age of only 48.
Shakudo alloy vase with five doves inlaid, with an openwork neck made of silver, height 28.5 cm, master Yamada Motonobu (1847 1897), Ozeki firm, late 19th century.A pair of Japanese vases made of silver with inlay of non ferrous metals and alloys, height 23 cm, master Yamada Motonobu, firm Ozeki, late 19th century.
Suzuki Katsuhiro was one of Hagia Katsuhiro’s two sons. He perfected his craft and rose to the status of the chief craftsman in the Suzuki family. He thus adopted the surname Suzuki, another unusual Japanese custom.
Unno Moritoshi was one of the artists who worked for the Ozeki family. Although this box does not bear the Ozeki seal, the craftsmanship and high quality of the materials used indicate the support of a wealthy patron.
A pair of vases in silver with inlays of non ferrous metals and alloys, height 23.5 cm, master Yamada Motonobu, probably for the firm Ozeki, late 19th century.
Sadajiro Ozeki sought to expand cooperation with European firms such as Liberty of London. This cooperation received a powerful boost when Arthur Lasenby, the founder of Liberty, visited Yokohama in 1889. Liberty’s interest in Japanese decorative art inspired Sadajiro to create works that would correspond to the latest aesthetic preferences of Europeans.
Vase in silver and shibuichi with enamels, inlaid with non-ferrous metals and alloys, depicting the artist and his assistant surprised by the appearance of characters from his painting, height 25.8 cm, master Hagia Katsuhira (1804-1886), Ozeki company, late 19th century.Silver coffee pot with iris design, height 24.5 cm, Musashiya (Ozeki), circa 1900Large silver bowl with iris design, marked Musasia (Ozeki), diameter 31.7 cm, circa 1900.Silver Chrysanthemum Okimono marked with Musashiya (Ozeki) mark, late 19th century.The sculpture is complemented by two separate lamprey figurines (mythical turtle shaped characters with a trail of seaweed).A majestic pair of silver Manchurian cranes with contrasting shakudo tail feathers are perched on a rocky outcrop of green patinated bronze above stormy waves of pure silver.A pair of silver and shibuichi vases with imitation melting snow and a depiction of flowers, height 20 cm, the vase on the left by Hashimoto Isshi II (active 1871-1903), the vase on the right by Mitsutoshi, Ozeki, late 19th century.Two silver dragons decorate the incense burner one supports it from below, the other crowns the koro lid.Silver incense burner (koro), decorated with cloisonné enamel, height 10.2 cm, Ozeki, circa 1900.Sugar bowl and tongs (top view).A silver tea set with gilding and cloisonné enamel, probably made for Ozeki, circa 1900.Tetrahedral silver vase with lid, decorated with cloisonné enamel, height 13.5 cm, Ozeki, late 19th century.A pair of unusual silver filigree vases with cloisonné enamel, height 15 cm, Ozeki, late 19th century.Small silver and enamel incense burner decorated with sparrows among bamboo leaves, height 9.5 cm, Ozeki, late 19th century.Silver and shibuichi vase inlaid with non ferrous metals and alloys, depicting carpenters constructingSilver vase inlaid with non ferrous metals and alloys, depicting koi carp against a background of shibuichi, height 24 cm, craftsman Onosawa Shigenobu, Ozeki company, late 19th century.The vase is unique in that each shakudo panel was created and signed by one of four famous masters of his time Akitatsu, Tomogasa, Masakatsu and Masatoshi.An unusual silver vase decorated with four shakudo panels depicting flowers and birdsDetails of the decoration poppy, butterfly look very expressive on the matte satin background of the silver vase.A magnificent silver vase, inlaid with gold and decorated with cloisonné enamel, height 24 cm, master Kogyokusai Katsuhisa (worked around 1890 1910), Ozeki company, late 19th – early 20th century.Side 4.Side 3. Traditional Japanese textile motifs on the sidewalls flowers, dragons, plovers on the waves, diamonds, rabbits, autumn grasses, Chinese boys engaged in science, peonies, fans and maple leaves…The sides of the box are made in the form of continuous textile stripes inlaid with gold, silver, copper, shakudo and shibuichi (side 2).Silver box (side 1). This unusual box is a real encyclopedia of Japanese metalworking art. Its decor presents all the main techniques of processing and inlaying silver with non-ferrous metals and alloys in a virtuoso performance: iroe takazogan (volumetric inlay), takabori (high carving, high relief), nunomezogan (textile inlay), hirazogan (flat applique), katakiri-bori (oblique engraving, imitation of a brush drawing), additional inserts in the form of dragons, phoenixes and shishi made of silver in the form of relief depressions in the lid.A silver box, width 10.3 cm, by Unno Moritoshi (1834 1896), probably Ozeki, late 19th century.Tray in silver and shibuichi with hens and roosters by Suzuki Katsuhiro I (1827 1886), inlaid with non ferrous metals and enamels, length 20 cm, Ozeki, late 19th century.
