Chinese Cloisonne Incense Container with Peony — Tea Ceremony Kogo, Compact Shippo Box

A small object that carries a world within it.

🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]
• Artist: —
• Origin: China
• Material: Cloisonne enamel (shippo)
• Motif: Peony
• Era: 1990s
• Box: Tomobako (artist's wooden presentation box)
• Condition: Good, carefully inspected

🔹 [ Cultural & Artistic Insight ]
The lid rests in the palm with the weight of held breath. On its surface, a peony unfolds in copper wire and fired enamel — petals in sky blue and teal, a deep crimson heart, leaves in layered green. Surrounding the bloom, a scattered cloud motif fills the white ground in quiet repetition. At the rim, a scalloped border in burgundy draws the eye inward. The base ring is gilded; the interior lid reveals an unbroken field of turquoise enamel — the color of still water.

This is Chinese cloisonne work at its most considered in a compact form: the wirework is even and unhurried, the color fill consistent, the firing without blemish. No maker's mark, but the hand is evident in the steadiness of every line.

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◆ WHAT YOU ARE RECEIVING

A small Chinese cloisonne kogo (incense container) in egg-shaped form. The piece is complete with its original lid, well-fitted. The enamel surface shows no chips, cracks, or loss of color. The gilt base ring is intact.

Form: Oblate dome, sits flat and stable
Decoration: Peony with cloud motif, cloisonne enamel on copper
Color palette: White ground / sky blue, teal, crimson, green / burgundy border / gilt base
Interior lid: Solid turquoise enamel
Condition: No chips, no cracks, enamel intact throughout
Dimensions: Approx. 5 cm diameter / 2.5 cm height
Mark: Unmarked
Origin: China

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◆ FOR THE TEA ROOM

🔹 [ Deep-Dive Commentary ]
In chado, the kogo holds a fragment of the season — a sliver of neriko, a pinch of rakugan, or simply the memory of smoke. This piece is scaled for the tea seat: small enough to sit beside the furo without competing, considered enough to be noticed when it should be. The peony motif, long associated with dignity and flourishing, carries no weight of explanation in the tearoom. It simply is.

It would sit naturally in a warm-season setting — late spring through early autumn — where its color speaks to the garden outside.

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◆ A NOTE ON CHINESE SHIPPO

Cloisonne enamel (七宝, shippo in Japanese; 景泰藍, jingtailan in Chinese) has been refined across centuries in both China and Japan. Chinese cloisonne from the modern period — characterized by clear, stable colors and controlled wirework — developed a distinct aesthetic: bold motifs on light grounds, strong border treatments, and a confidence in chromatic contrast. This piece reflects those qualities in miniature.

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◆ JAPANESE DESCRIPTION

中国製の有線七宝による小型香合です。白地に牡丹文を施し、青・ターコイズの花弁、深紅の花心、緑の葉を細い銅線で区切って丁寧に焼き付けています。雲文が地を埋め、縁に深紅のスカラップ状ボーダー、底縁に金彩帯を配しています。蓋裏はターコイズ色の無地七宝。無銘ながら発色と線条は整っており、茶席の遊びに向く一品です。ヒビ・カケなし、保存良好。

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🔹 [ 日本語解説 ]
白地に青・ターコイズの牡丹文と雲文を有線七宝で表現した中国製小型香合。蓋裏はターコイズ色、底縁に金彩。発色と線条が整っており、茶席の小道具に向く品。

🔹 [ SHIPPING & PACKAGING ]
• Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days
• Carrier: Japan Post EMS / UPS (with tracking)
• Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials