Incense jar - Meiji

Incense box - Meiji

China or Japan, early 20th century.

Cloisonné decorated brass. Size approx. 97mm x 72mm x 40mm.

A very beautiful, aged and detailed Cloisonné box. Flower and ornament motifs are repeated in skillfully executed panels. Cloisonné (French: émail cloisonné) means coating and decorating metal objects with enamel. With the cloisonné technique, the contours of the patterns are soldered to the base from metal wire. After that, the network made of metal wires is filled with enamel and glazing fields of different colors. Cloisonné came into common use in Europe in the 4th century, and it developed to its peak in the 9th–12th centuries in Byzantium. The heyday of cellular enameling in China was in the 14th–18th centuries and in Japan in the 17th–18th centuries.

The compact box is great for storing incense or amulets.

Note! The box is an old antique piece, so there may be minor age-related wear.