Japanese Kinkozan Satsuma Porcelain Hexagonal Bowl

A crowd of grinning faces inside, and a serene figure seated calmly among them.

This Kinkozan Satsuma porcelain hexagonal bowl comes from Japan and dates to the Meiji Period (1868 – 1912 CE). It is enameled and gilded porcelain. The Kinkozan workshop in Kyoto was among the best known makers of Meiji Satsuma, generally recognized for dense, finely enameled decoration. The interior is packed with haloed figures in gold, their faces bearded and wry, around a central seated figure within a beaded halo. Outside, a dark ground carries green scrolls, round gilt medallions and panels of flame and scale pattern between gold bands. It is 12.5 inches wide and 5 high.

Quite a gathering for one bowl, and all of them on their best behavior.