This small vase, 11.5 centimetres high, shows craftsmen at work. The subject belongs to the shokunin zukushi, or ‘pictures of all the trades’, tradition that the studio drew on repeatedly to depict the artisans of old Japan for a largely foreign audience. Christie’s online catalogue gives no fuller description of the decoration, so the details of the trades shown are not recorded here.
The vase was offered in Christie’s online sale of Japanese and Korean art in September 2022 as property from a princely collection. The catalogue gives its earlier provenance as Bonhams London, 7 November 2013, lot 481. It is signed ‘Yabu Meizan’. Offered at Christie’s, Japanese and Korean Art Online, on 27 September 2022, lot 32. It realised US$15,120 including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of US$7,000–US$9,000.