Hello! Thank you for taking the time to look over this piece, I appreciate your time and effort expended in doing so.
I purchased this vase from an online auction. The auction photos, unfortunately, did not show the bottom so I didn't find out that it has no markings until it arrived and now I'm stuck with it since shipping it back to Oregon would cost more than the refund.
It is 12" tall and 5" across at the widest point. The time period, I'm guessing, is somewhere within the Meiji period?
I recall reading something about a crackle glaze that was used on some Satsuma pieces to give a depth of shadow to the painted elements but I'm not confident that is the situation in this case. The clay is quite thick at 8mm and the crackly bits appear superficial and are present only in the glazed areas. i.e. The unglazed rim around the bottom is porous but no crackling is present. What do you see? Do the cracks in these images appear to be from the glaze or does it appear to be damaged?
That same article mentioned that some pieces were left unmarked, as they were intended "for the masses" instead of being made for the palace. This piece is suspect though because of the clumpy unglazed clay on the bottom that looks like it may have been just smeared or stuck in there for whatever purpose. I mean it doesn't look like it was a part of the design, to me.
I'm just speculating, I don't know nearly enough to make any kind of educated guess myself. Which is why I am here... asking if anyone has knowledge of Satsuma pottery that can/will offer an experienced word regarding this piece?
I see that there is a place to link an eBay listing, but I will be listing this on Ruby Lane.
