This rectangular vase with a short cylindrical neck is painted on a crackled cream ground with four panels, one on each face. The first shows sparrows among wisteria. The second shows a festival palanquin with figures, and the third a bird among maple leaves. The fourth is a mountain landscape with pavilions and a boat on the water. Around the panels the ground is filled with a profusion of flower-heads.
The four-sided format let the studio display bird-and-flower painting, figure work and landscape on a single object. The vase was catalogued with a wooden cover, noted as a replacement. It has a gilt seal on the base and is signed ‘Yabu Meizan’. Offered at Christie’s, Art of Japan Online, London, on 3 May 2017, lot 73. It realised £8,750 including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of £1,800–£2,200.