   Satsuma faience: three vases Three vases of middle period Satsuma faience. These beautiful and effective pieces are good representatives of a style of decoration but seldom met with in Satsuma ware. Their chief peculiarity is the black ground upon which the richly-painted flowers, foliage, and birds stand out in brilliant contrast. Black grounds are sometimes seen in old Hizen porcelain, and probably the Satsuma artists derived from it the idea of applying similar grounds to their faience. The rarity of the black Satsuma ware, however, disposes us to believe that its makers never took kindly to it, but preferred the delicate cream tint of their clay as a ground for their minute ornamentation. In the present specimens it will be observed that a large and vigorous treatment is adopted in the ornamentation on the black grounds, the usual minute and characteristic decoration being executed upon the cream-tinted portions. In thus treating the vases, their artists have fully recognised the laws which naturally govern decorative painting. Height of side vases: 19¼ inches; of centre vase, 20 inches. Lithograph, by Bauer, published 1875.
|
|
