Ando Jubei (安藤重兵衛), Japanese, 1876–1953

A Cloisonné Enamel Vase with Cranes (銀製 双鶴文七宝花瓶)

Meiji Era (1868-1912) or Taisho Era (1912-1926) 

About the work

An elegant cloisonné enamel vase by Ando Jubei, decorated with a pair of Japanese red crowned cranes against a luminous blue ground. The slender baluster form rises to a gently flared mouth fitted with a silver rim, giving the vessel a refined and balanced profile.

The two cranes are rendered with finely delineated plumage in white, grey and black, with their distinctive red crowns providing subtle accents of colour. Pine foliage accompanies the birds, creating a traditional auspicious composition. In Japanese art, cranes symbolise longevity and good fortune, while pine represents endurance and longevity.

The vase demonstrates the technical refinement associated with the Ando workshop, combining delicate pictorial decoration with a smooth, brilliantly finished enamel ground. The restrained palette and expansive blue surface emphasise the elegant silhouettes and intricate detailing of the cranes.

Accompanied by its original signed wooden storage box (tomobako) and fitted wooden display stand. 

Dimensions

15.4cm(h) x 6.5cm(w)

Weight: 189g

Footnote

Andō Jūbei (安藤重兵衛, 1876–1953) was one of the most important Japanese cloisonné artists of the Meiji and Taishō periods and a leading figure in Nagoya’s enameling industry alongside Hayashi Kodenji. Together with Namikawa Yasuyuki and Namikawa Sōsuke, he is regarded as one of the three masters whose technical innovations defined the “Golden Age” of Japanese cloisonné in the late nineteenth century. Renowned for his exquisitely crafted presentation wares commissioned by the Imperial Household for foreign dignitaries, Andō exhibited internationally, including at the Japan–British Exhibition of 1910. His works are held in major museum collections worldwide, and the Andō Cloisonné Company continues his legacy today.