Japanese Satsuma Porcelain Lidded Urn

A seated lord with a fine moustache holds court, and everyone around the jar is paying attention.

This Satsuma porcelain lidded urn comes from Japan and dates to the Meiji Period (1868 – 1912 CE). It is painted and gilded porcelain. Satsuma wares of the Meiji era were made largely for export, admired in Europe and America for dense figural scenes and generous gold. Around the ivory body, a lord in a gold-patterned robe sits among court ladies and an attendant holding a sword. A gilt band molded as a tied cord circles the shoulder, and the domed lid and flared foot are covered in fine gold diapering. It is 7.5 inches high and 6 in diameter.

A crowded room, kept tidily under one lid.