Monumental Japanese Three-Piece Peach Cloisonné Enamel Garniture, Nagoya Company

A Monumental Japanese Meiji Period Three-Piece Lobed Cloisonné Enamel Garniture with Birds, Butterflies, and Chrysanthemums on a Rare Pale Peach Ground, Attributed to the Nagoya Cloisonné Company

A monumental Japanese cloisonné enamel three-piece garniture from the Meiji period, attributed to the Nagoya Cloisonné Company (Nagoya Shippo Kaisha), comprising a pair of tall lobed vases and a large covered lobed jar. Each piece is exquisitely decorated against a rare pale peach ground with naturalistic birds, butterflies, and chrysanthemums. Complete ensembles of this scale, form, and refinement are exceptionally rare, representing the highest achievements of cloisonné artistry during Japan’s golden age of enameling.

The pair of vases and the jar are of lobed baluster form, their softly scalloped contours adding sculptural depth while requiring consummate technical skill to achieve flawless enameling across the concave and convex surfaces. The decoration unfolds in painterly richness: branches laden with chrysanthemums and daisies sweep across the bodies, punctuated by autumn foliage in shades of green, russet, and gold. Birds perch among the blossoms or take flight, rendered in delicate tones of grey, chestnut, and blue, while butterflies hover gracefully above, their wings worked in soft pastels and jewel-like enamels that shimmer against the pale peach ground. The interplay of flowers, birds, and butterflies conveys vitality and harmony, embodying the poetic sensitivity to nature that characterizes the finest Japanese art.

The lobed jar, with its domed lid surmounted by a finial, echoes the vases in both form and decoration, completing the ensemble in unified grandeur. Together the three pieces form a monumental garniture of exceptional presence and refined artistry.

Borders enrich each piece: the bases with stylized lappet designs in orange, blue, and black, the rims with intricate polychrome bands, and the interiors finished in brilliant turquoise enamel, offering striking contrast to the peach exterior.

The Nagoya Cloisonné Company, established in 1871, became internationally renowned for its technical innovation and refinement. Monumental lobed vessels with rare peach and cream-toned grounds, combined with painterly decoration of flora, birds, and butterflies, were among their most ambitious creations, often destined for export and world expositions. Comparable masterpieces were displayed at the Vienna Exposition of 1873, the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1878, and the Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, where Japanese cloisonné won global acclaim as one of the most celebrated decorative arts of the period.

While individual large cloisonné vases survive in collections, complete three-piece garnitures of this quality are exceedingly rare. This ensemble, with its monumental proportions, rare pale peach ground, and richly detailed naturalistic decoration, represents a pinnacle of Meiji-period cloisonné.

A true museum-quality garniture — monumental in form, flawless in execution, and distinguished by its rarity, symbolism, and connection to the international triumphs of the Nagoya Cloisonné Company.

Pair of Vases: 25" high x 12" diameter
Covered Jar Centerpiece: 20" high x 13" diameter

Very good condition, no damages noted. Normal wear consistent with age and use.