19th Century Japanese Satsuma Lotus Koi Bowl on Custom Steel Mount
19th Century Japanese Satsuma Lotus Koi Bowl on Custom Steel Mount
This extraordinary 19th-century Japanese Satsuma bowl, created during the luminous years of the Meiji period, unfolds like a flower caught at the precise moment of perfection. Each petal-shaped edge forms the lotus silhouette, a symbol of purity and spiritual awakening in Japanese tradition. Inside, a shimmering pond of gilt becomes the stage for elegant koi rendered in deep iron red and black, gliding through the golden waters with effortless grace.
Look closer and the surface becomes a world. Every inch is animated with minute brushwork and delicate ornament, the kind of patient virtuosity that defined the great Satsuma workshops of the era, where centuries-old craftsmanship met Japan’s newly outward-looking spirit.
To give the piece the presence it deserves, the bowl has been mounted on a custom steel tabletop stand, allowing it to be displayed and admired anywhere, in a home, an office, or a place where beauty deserves a moment of pause.
6 in. W x 3 in. D x 9.75 in. H