By Yabu Meizan (1853-1934), signed Yabu MeizanJapan, late 19th to early 20th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)The ovoid body rising from a splayed foot to a slender waisted neck with an everted rim. Finely enameled and gilt to the sides with groups of figures engaged in various activities, including women preparing a feast, a woman grating bonito with a small white cat looking on, a group of women watching a dog perform tricks, as well as boys gathered around a samurai display, the neck with leafy chrysanthemum trailing over the shoulder, and the foot with two evenly spaced flowerheads flanked by leafy scrolls, all against a pure ivory white ground. Signed to the base YABU MEIZAN within a gilt seal.HEIGHT 12 cmCondition: Restored chip to the lip. Otherwise excellent condition.Provenance: A private collector in the United Kingdom, acquired in the 1930s, and thence by descent.Yabu Meizan (1853-1934) was a Japanese artist and workshop owner known for painting on porcelain. His studio produced high-end Satsuma ware and he was one of the artists who continued the tradition of high artistic quality while also successfully exporting. Meizan actively marketed his work internationally as well as domestically, taking an active role in organizing the presentation of Japanese wares at world fairs.Auction comparison: Compare a closely related vase of slightly smaller size, and of similar form and composition, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 6 November 2021, London, lot 557 (sold for 16,250 GBP).