This small, squat globular vase carries a continuous scene of women at work in the weaving industry. They hang thread to dry, comb it, and weave cloth on a large loom, in the methodical, almost documentary manner the studio brought to craft subjects. The neck is painted with vertical panels of peonies and cherry blossom.
The weaving theme recurs in pairs and single vases sold at Bonhams and in the Khalili Collection, where a vase shows silk being finished. This vase is 9.5 centimetres high and signed on the base with a gilt seal ‘Yabu Meizan’. Offered at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, London, New Bond Street, on 11 May 2017, lot 219. It realised £6,875 including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of £2,000–£3,000.