A six-sided tea caddy and cover with fan-shaped panels of cherry, flowers, maple, a lakeside scene and pastimes. Among them are mice at play, a monkey with peaches, and an unusual black-ground fan with boys who seem to sit among the stars. Lawrence writes that Meizan’s tea caddies vary in height, though most are under 20 cm, and that it is impossible to tell whether this one was made to order or sold from stock.
Description summarised from Louis Lawrence, Satsuma: The Romance of Japan (2011), pl. 49, pp. 68. Measurements and marks are as published and have not been checked against the object.
Provenance
Anonymous private collection, as stated in the source: Lawrence (2011, p. 259) says all Satsuma pieces in the book are from anonymous private collections in the USA and Europe (exceptions nos. 4, 29, 65 and 141, none of which is this piece).
Literature
Louis Lawrence, Satsuma: The Romance of Japan (2011), pl. 49, p. 68.
