This pair of vases is of square section, each rising to a tall, slender, flaring neck. The four sides of each are painted with a varied set of panels: birds among maple and blossoming branches, river landscapes, figure scenes, and an egret standing in a lotus pond. The necks continue the theme with flowers and birds among trailing wisteria, so that each vase reads as a small anthology of seasonal subjects.
Square-section vases with multiple panels were a recurring format in the studio, allowing a single object to display the painters’ range. The pair was catalogued with the Japanese description 薩摩燒瓶一對, and each vase is signed on the base in gilt ‘Yabu Meizan’. Offered at Bonhams, Asian Art, London Knightsbridge, on 12 May 2026, lot 281. It realised £7,040 including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of £5,000–£7,000.