Lot 237
![[PRIVATE SCOTTISH COLLECTION, PERTHSHIRE] JAPANESE CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL 'BOYS AT PLAY' JAR](https://media.app.artisio.co/media/104cbde6-0d38-43cb-9e0f-bb721ef57bcf/inventory/f446033c-d1bf-49c8-98c4-cda7242cabb9/fa70ae55-fa0a-4bee-95d6-1260d6a5669f/0001_xSPVjw_original.jpeg)
[PRIVATE SCOTTISH COLLECTION, PERTHSHIRE] JAPANESE CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL 'BOYS AT PLAY' JAR
MEIJI PERIOD
Auction: 16 September 2026 from 10:00 BST
Description
明治 銅胎掐絲琺瑯百子圖罐
of ovoid form, decorated with boys playing hide-and-seek on one side, reverse with another boy carrying a plantain leaf, all on a ‘pigeon blood’ ground, surrounding the small mouth with a band of microscopic butterflies
Dimensions
12.4cm high
Provenance
Private Scottish collection, Perthshire
蘇格蘭私人收藏, 珀斯郡
Footnote
A defining testament to the technical virtuosity of this vase is the exquisite, scalloped reserve encircling its shoulder. Set against a delicate lavender-pink ground, the studio has executed a dense, microscopic tapestry of meticulously shaped miniature butterflies
In Japanese decorative arts, the butterfly (chö) is a classical symbol of longevity, marital felicity, and the joyous transition of seasons. To render these creatures at such a miniature scale required an elite level of wire manipulation-each individual wing and antenna shaped out of gossamer-thin metal ribbons before being filled with varied enamel pastes.