Tall Japanese Sumida Gawa Vase By Inoue Ryōsai, Sages On A Cliff, Meiji–taishō C.1900

A Japanese Sumida Gawa (Sumida-yaki) vase, hand-thrown by Inoue Ryōsai, with an exceptionally tall and slender form, dating from the late Meiji–Taishō period, circa 1900–1920. The low-fired red earthenware body is wheel-thrown with visible horizontal ribs, rising from a recessed base into a tall column that bulges into a rounded shoulder and a tapered neck, ending in an everted rim with a rolled edge, with an irregularly lobed outline.

The neck and shoulder are covered with a lustrous, black-eggplant-colored flambé glaze, with shades of violet, lilac, and cream, which accumulates and flows in thick streaks over a matte iron-red engobe background, in the style of Chinese Shiwan (Shekwan) stoneware; the red background retains the warm, slightly speckled hue characteristic of the studio.

Applied and modeled in high relief on the front, a group of figures climbs over dark, applied rocks—a bald old man in an ochre robe reaching his arm upward, a second figure below wearing a light-colored robe accented with underglaze blue, and another figure in a green robe to the side—interwoven with white ovoid eggs and a draped white cloth. The lower part of the body features an ovoid cartouche applied in white porcelain and painted in underglaze blue, signed Ryōsai (良斎) and attributed to Inoue Ryōsai.

The vase measures 30.7 cm in height—an exceptionally tall example of this form—by 13 cm in width and 11.5 cm in depth, and weighs 1110 g. In good condition for its age, with fair wear consistent with its period of use; please note that the upper figure is missing its left hand, the lower figure has been restored on the left arm and left leg, and there is a chip on the base; all of these are visible in the photographs. Please examine all photos carefully, as they are an integral part of the listing, and feel free to contact us with any questions.