Meiji Satsuma Koro By Ippō, Gilt Shishi, Kyoto Kinkozan School, Signed, 24cm

A rare museum-quality Meiji Satsuma koro (incense burner) from Kyoto, c.1890, attributed to the artist Ippō and likely produced under the Kinkozan workshop. The vessel stands on three paw feet with molded faces and is topped by a dramatic pierced lid with a lion-dog (shishi) finial.
Panels feature processions of nobles and court ladies under cherry trees, and seated Buddhist arhats, each figure individually hand-painted with superb enamel detail and raised gold. The handles and feet are sculpted as richly gilded shishi lions.
Signed in gold on a red cartouche under the base. Condition: minor gilding loss, small firing hairline inside the lid (see photos), otherwise pristine for its age.
Dimensions: height 24 cm, width 21 cm, diameter 14.8 cm, weight 951 g.
Comparable pieces in Bonhams, V&A, Ashmolean.
Please study the accompanying photographs carefully as they form an integral part of this description. If you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them.