vase with relief decoration of religious scenes and lotus flowers
onbekend/unknown, Japan, 19th century
bronze, 142 cm x 81 cm x 43 cm
Credits: The Mesdag Collection, The Hague
This vase was displayed for only one day each year next to the altar of a Japanese temple: That day was the anniversary of the Buddha’s death. With the transition to the Meiji period in 1868, Shintoism replaced Buddhism as the state religion of Japan. Many temples fell on hard times, and this vase was probably sold to a Western buyer during this period.
The Mesdags had quite a large collection of Japanese objects. This may seem remarkable, but was not unusual in the late 19th century. Anyone who followed fashion at that time would have had Japanese objects in their home or Japanese woodcuts on their walls.
- Object number
- hwm0440a
- Dimensions
- 142 cm x 81 cm, 43 cm
- metalworker
- onbekend/unknown
- Credits
- The Mesdag Collection, The Hague
The Hague, De Mesdag Collectie, Mesdag & Japan, 7 March-17 June 2018
The Hague, Haags Historisch Museum, Japansch Magazijn : Japanse kunst en cultuur in 19de-eeuws Den Haag, 1 April-2 July 2000
Vries, Jorien de, Een Hollandse verzamelaar : Hendrik Willem Mesdag, p. 29
Dijk, Maite van, Suijver, Renske, Fitski, M., Smits, C., De Mesdag Collectie, Amsterdam, 2011, p. 104, 108
Dijk, Maite van, Suijver, Renske, Fitski, M., Smits, C., The Mesdag Collection, Amsterdam, 2011, p. 104, 108
Fitski, M., Leeman, Fred, Overbeek, A., Smits, C., Tempel, Benno, Museum Mesdag guide, Amsterdam, 1999, p. 71
Suijver, Renske, Donders, Bram, Mesdag & Japan, Amsterdam, 2018, p. 24, 26
