Cloisonné Goblet

A cloisonne goblet with a five-footed base. Butterflies and kikkyo (?) flowers are depicted with gold cloisons and blue, pink, black, red and white enamels against a turquoise blue chakin ground. Bands of clouds and floral designs decorate the rim, interior, and stem. The inscription is engraved into the bottom.

Prior to the Meiji period (1868–1912), the samurai—members of Japan’s warrior class—were the primary clientele for metal artisans and craftspeople. Typical metalworks for the samurai included suits of armor, swords and sword fittings, and stirrups and harnesses. However, at the start of the Meiji, the samurai class was stripped of their military duties, so metalworkers pivoted and applied their craft to making primarily aesthetic objects for the domestic and export markets.

Cloisonné (shippō) was one of the most popular techniques for decorating Japanese metalwork. The technique uses colored enamels (powdered glass) that are separated by metal wires, often in gold or silver. Cloisonné experienced a Golden Age during the Meiji period and with good reason: Japanese artisans in this period produced some of the finest, most complex works that were not seen among their Chinese or European counterparts.

Inscription

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

Centennial Exhibition, Philadelphia, 1876; William T. Walters, Baltimore, 1876, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894, by inheritance; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.