Antiques Roadshow

GUEST

I've had it about ten years. I do a lot of yard sales, estate sales. I think it's from an estate sale. And I know I didn't pay much for it, so a lot of times the estate sales have the last day, half price. So that's where I think I got it. I've always loved the piece.

APPRAISER

It's a Japanese vase. It's earthenware satsuma. It's an enameled satsuma in gilt and high-fired enamels. Satsuma was done during the Meiji period primarily, 1880 to 1920. This vase is enameled with wonderful drapery of wisteria. There's a very finely executed cobweb.

GUEST

I know, I love that.

APPRAISER

With a little dangling spider. There's songbirds. It's a profusion of wisteria to the shoulder, and then drooping down to this ovoid body. The rim is gilded. There's high points of gilding to identify each leaf. It's a beautifully hand-painted vase. Now, with earthenware satsuma there's a folklore or an urban legend that the Japanese artists who executed these vases would go blind due to the detail and intricate work.

GUEST

I could see why they would think that.

APPRAISER

At the ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, I would say about 10%-20% of what we see are Japanese earthenware satsuma.

GUEST

Okay.

APPRAISER

The vast majority of that is mass-produced, quickly painted, rapidly executed, made for the mass export to the U.S. and to the Western market. This, however, resides in that very top percent.

GUEST

Oh, my goodness.

APPRAISER

The mark is gilded. It's overpainted on the body of the vase. And the mark is of Yabu Meizan. And Yabu Meizan had a workshop in Japan during the 1880s to 1920s. He was a Imperial Court artist. His workshop were the very, very top tier of Japanese earthenware satsuma. Japanese works of art have suffered a decline in the last 20 years. However, there has been a resurgence in the price of the cream of the crop. And he is the foremost earthenware satsuma painter, his workshop. As to value, I would say conservative auction estimate would be between $5,000 and $8,000.

GUEST

Oh, my goodness. I can't believe it. (sighs) I still love it. (laughs)

APPRAISER

Perhaps a little bit more now.

GUEST

Yeah. Now I'm a little bit more nervous about, you know, it just sits in my living room on a bookshelf, you know.

APPRAISER

Well, please don't stop enjoying it.

GUEST

No, I'm going to enjoy it.