Polar bears vase by Makuzu Kozan workshop – £22,000 at Ma San.
It initially produced Satsuma-style pottery, but from the 1880s focused increasingly on making porcelain and studying ancient and modern glazing techniques that used less gold in the decoration.
Many of these pieces were Chinese in style but particularly popular on the international exhibition circuit were the innovative taka-ukibori wares distinctive for their realistic three-dimensional high relief decoration.
In the case of the extraordinary polar bears vase, sold at Ma San Auctions in Bath for £22,000 (plus 20% buyer’s premium) on December 2 the direct inspiration for the design appeared to be the contemporaneous works sold at the time for very high sums by the Royal Copenhagen factory.
A detail of the polar bears vase by Makuzu Kozan workshop (details shown) – £22,000 at Ma San.
A near identical 9in (22cm) vase with an impressed two character Makuzu mark in the Victoria and Albert Museum was bought at the Japan-British exhibition held in London’s White City in 1910.
The Japanese vase offered for sale in Bath may well have been acquired at the same event: it came for sale from a local lady in her 60s, whose grandmother who had received it as a wedding gift in 1910.
The impressed character Makuzu mark at the base of the vase.
Estimated at £2000-2400 (three of the crystalline-glazed icicle tips were damaged), it drew competition from a range of buyers although specialist Leon Ma was surprised to see it sell to a Chinese bidder using the LiveAuctioneers online marketplace.
