By Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson
Scripps Howard News Service
Dear Helaine and Joe: This small ceramic pot is 3 inches high and has a metal lid. It was in my mother's estate. I have no information about it, but have enclosed pictures of the marks. Sincerely, R. V., Champaign, Illinois.
Dear R. V.: Sometimes there are limits to what we can do from photographs and this is one of those times. However, we do have a lot of information about this piece that we feel will be helpful.
First of all, this piece is Japanese and is a type of pottery called Satsuma. This type of ware was first made around the turn of the 17th century by Korean potters who were brought back to Japan as prisoners of war by Shimazu Yoshidiro, the titular lord of Satsuma. Incredibly, these potters and their families reportedly were kept completely separate from the rest of the Japanese population until after 1868.
What we now commonly call "Satsuma" is semi-porcelain with a crackled cream colored glaze that is painted with enamels and (in many instances) gilding. Initially, it was a product of Kagoshima Province where Satsuma is also a place name, but eventually, it was made in Tokyo, Yokohama, Kyoto and elsewhere in Japan as well.
Much of this Satsuma ware was made for export to the West, and a significant percentage of this is of mediocre quality or worse. The best Satsuma was carefully crafted by artists and groups of artists such as Kinkozan, Tozan, Hozan, Ryozan, and Kozan.
The incense burner or "koro" belonging to R. V. was signed by a highly regarded artist named Chin Ju Kan, who worked under the art name "Gyokuzan."
The first Gyokuzan skillfully crafted his pottery during the late Edo Period during the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1867), but it must be understood that other artists using this name and similar marks worked long after the death of Chin Ju Kan and may still be working to this day.
One of the things that interests us most about this koro is that it is decorated with the crest or "mon" of the Tokugawa family, which consists of three leaves of the wild ginger or asarum plant within a circle. This does not necessarily mean that the piece in today's question was made for either the Shogun or his family, but as a general rule, this sort of crested decoration was reserved for pieces of the highest quality.
Every detail of this piece from its flower form open work top (which is probably made from fairly pure silver) to its vibrant and beautifully painted blue, red, and gold enamel work, eloquently speaks of this piece's artistic merits, and it may indeed be the work of the first Gyokuzan, Chin Ju Kan. If it is, it was made circa 1850, but unfortunately, without actually handling this piece such an attribution is both unwise and irresponsible.
We are also not prepared to price this piece with any certainty, but we do believe that a minimum value for insurance purposes may be in the $4,000 range. To get a firmer evaluation, R. V. needs to take this lovely and possibly important incense burner to a specialist in Japanese pottery and porcelain and have it thoroughly examined.
In all likelihood, this will establish beyond doubt the exact origins of this piece and whether or not it needs to be insured separately on R. V.'s household insurance.
(Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of the Price It Yourself (HarperResource, $19.95). Questions can by mailed to them at P.O. Box 12208, Knoxville, TN 37912-0208.)
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