What's it worth? Appraisal of vintage Japanese ewer

Adeel asks:

I have this piece of what i think is a fine piece of Japanese pottery (I could be very wrong). And from my research I think it may be a satsuma vase but am really not sure as I really have limited knowledge of this kind of stuff if any.

I came across you on the net and thought I’d try and gather any information. It is a lovely piece of pottery and Is covered all over (literally all over) with some fantastic artwork, it consists of a picture of a (Japanese) lady playing what looks like an instrument, and this image is on both sides (pretty symmetrical). It has a gold coloured handle and the piece also consists of some gold flowery patterns.

At the base of the piece is what looks like a Japanese stamp with 9 or so gold symbols, one of which is a circle with a cross inside, and is in a browny/red background. I have tried my best with my description as I was advised to do on your website.

I would really appreciate it if you could give me any help in terms of what it is and if it can be sold and where.   or in terms of anything that may be helpful to me.  I also have more images and would be more than happy to share them with you.
Many thanks.
M.

AW says:  Thanks, you did a great job with the description!

Indeed the artwork on this is wonderful. It’s a hand painted “ewer” some may call it a vinegarette etc. Essentially it was meant for pouring oils. There is a technique used on it called moriage, which means it has raised dots that adorn it.

The Japanese province mark indicates that it’s a 19th century piece and the paint is likely a mixture of real gold. It’s a nice item in it’s price range, but has a lot of competition from like items in the marketplace which keeps the price lower than what one may expect.

These are usually found in sets.

• Retail value: $60-$75
• Wholesale: $35

Keywords:

• Ewer
• japanese export porcelain
• hand painted
• moriage