Japanese Satsuma Pottery Yen-Yen Vase Painted Gosu Blue marked 薩摩焼

A Satsuma pottery vase, beautifully hand painted with two large panels, one with a fenced garden with chrysanthemums, the other with a Komainu or guardian lion ( Foo Dog). There is extensive use of gosu or imperial blue enamel and gilding on the brocade pattern on the long and wide trumpet neck.

The vase is of a wide bodied Gu beaker shape, some may describe the shape as Feng weizan, pheonix tail or yen-yen vase shape. 

The base of the vase has very neatly hand painted calligraphy in gosu or Imperial blue: 薩摩焼 - Satsuma-yaki. The vase shape, and use of Gosu blue particularly on the mark to the base, indicates a date of early Meiji period around 1870.

It is in good antique condition, there is some glaze crazing,as usual with this body, some wear to the gilding on the rim, a small filled rim chip and a hairline, as can be seen in the photos.

It stands 12 inches high and 7 inches diameter and weighs 1.58kg unpacked