Japanese Inaba Cloisonne Enamel Table Screen

Japanese and Chinese antiques and art from B & C

Japanese Inaba Cloisonne Enamel Table Screen

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Directory: Vintage Arts:Regional Art:Asian:Japanese:Enamel:Pre 1960: item # 688634

Please refer to our stock # 8-077 when inquiring.

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B & C Antiques
P. O. Box 291
Derby, CT 06418
203-929-7312

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$995

Japanese Inaba Cloisonne Enamel Table Screen

This superb miniature four-panel cloisonné table screen is meticulously decorated with pheasants and birds amid a variety of flowering trees and plants along a stream, all on a rich black enamel ground. Stamped on the back with the “Inaba” trademark and “Made in Japan,” it dates to the mid-20th century. Each panel is bordered with brass, and each rectangular base has an additional brass border within which are yellow and white cloisonne “karahana” flowers on a wired green cloisonné ground. It is the quality of the bird and floral designs which is truly breathtaking. The delicate silver wire work is meticulous, and the lush enamel colors -- which have beautiful shading gradations -- stand out brilliantly against the deep black ground. Each panel is a miniature work of art unto itself. The back is silvered brass which has been finely etched with a landscape design of boats on a lake with Mt. Fuji rising in the background.

The Inaba Company, founded by Inaba Nanaho in 1887, was one of the foremost cloisonné workshops during Japan’s Golden Age of cloisonne. It continues to produce cloisonné of the highest quality in Kyoto. Cloisonne is an artcraft which requires great technical knowledge as well as the skill to produce an aesthetically pleasing item using a combination of vitreous enamel and metal wires. The wires are arranged in designs upon the metal body, into the compartments (“cloisons”) of which the enamels are packed. The item is then fired repeatedly to bring the enamels above the level of the wires and then buffed and polished many times.

CONDITION is perfect, with absolutely no damage or restoration. DIMENSIONS: 7 3/8” (18.8 cm) high, 12 7/8” (32.8 cm) total length. Each panel is approximately 3 1/8” (8.0 cm) wide. Weight over 2 pounds.