Sanpo Kiln Large Vase, Black Glaze with Gold and Colored Bird-and-Flower and Autumn Grasses Design
This large vintage Japanese vase uses a deep black glaze as its base, with gold and multicolored bird-and-flower motifs forming the main scene. Unlike the fresh, bright elegance of typical white-porcelain vases, the black glaze gives the whole piece a more mature, composed character, while also making the gold and floral colors stand out with particular vividness. The body depicts a variety of autumn grasses and flowers—chrysanthemums, slender grass leaves, and assorted wildflowers rise in layers from the lower part of the vessel upward, with yellow, orange-red, white, green, and blue-violet scattered among them; above, birds in flight can be seen weaving between the flowers and grasses, forming a very characteristic Japanese bird-and-flower and autumn-grasses design. The most beautiful aspect is that the composition does not completely fill the entire vase. The craftsman deliberately left large areas of black glaze, concentrating the intricate flowers and grasses on the lower half of the body, then using the flying birds to draw the eye upward. This "reserved black" means that even with the extensive use of gold and colored painting, the piece never appears gaudy—instead it gains a deep, serene quality like a garden at night.
