Plate

The interest of Europeans and Americans in Far Eastern enamel was exploited in Japan. The Japanese reached the peak of their artistic and technological possibilities in the 1880s. This period is sometimes called the golden age of Japanese cellular enamel. Enamels were created with unrivaled precision of workmanship, refined colors and decorations, intended for export to Europe and the United States of America, where they were and still are very popular. This high level of Japanese enamelling lasted until the second decade of the 20th century. Enamel products from the Land of the Rising Sun were presented at great world exhibitions at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, arousing the interest not only of connoisseurs of Far Eastern art, but also of artists. The success of Japanese enamelling was due to, among others, because the Japanese added more expression to the richness of colors they took from Chinese enamel products. Changes in composition were related to technological changes that made it possible to create larger smooth surfaces without the need to use a dense mesh of wires. In the last quarter of the 19th century, Namikawa Yasuyuki and the German chemist Gottfried von Wagner developed a new enamel with greater adhesion. Therefore, it was possible to create asymmetric compositions, with some parts left undecorated, in accordance with traditional Japanese aesthetics. The butterfly (chō) is a symbol of a happy relationship, which is why it is often used as a wedding decoration in Japan. Previously, it was an extremely popular decorative motif. The butterfly is also a symbol of the transience and impermanence of life. The Japanese believed that each butterfly contained the soul of both a living and deceased person, which is why this motif often appeared on shini-e, woodcuts commemorating recently deceased outstanding artists.