A small vase only twelve centimetres high, this piece carries one of Meizan’s most celebrated subjects: the daimyō procession. Around the body a feudal lord rides on horseback among his samurai and attendants, who carry hasamibako (lacquered travel chests), banners and other equipment of the journey. On the shoulder, spiral bands of peony, chrysanthemum and cherry blossom lie beneath a formal border.
The foot is painted with numerous minute butterflies hovering over flowering shrubs, between bands of geometric pattern. Bonhams gave the Japanese title 薩摩 金彩色絵大名行列図小花瓶 and recorded the vase as coming from an English private collection. It is signed with a gilt seal ‘Yabu Meizan’. Offered at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, London New Bond Street, on 16 May 2013, lot 502. It realised £4,750 including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of £2,500–£3,000.