Of slender baluster form, each rising from a narrow foot to rounded shoulders and a short waisted neck with slightly everted rim, worked in fine gilt wire and decorated with bamboo in shaded green enamels against a luminous pale turquoise-blue ground, the gilding still clearly visible in places, with some sections appearing paler where the gilded surface has worn.
The bamboo culms are softly shaded in pale green, with darker articulated nodes and long overlapping leaves in deeper green enamels. The decoration is worked with considerable restraint, the broad areas of subtly graduated enamel defined by fine wire outlines, creating a distinctly painterly effect.
The reverse of each vase is left largely undecorated, allowing the bamboo decoration to remain the dominant visual focus. The resulting asymmetry and generous use of negative space lend the composition a restrained and tranquil quality characteristic of refined Japanese design.
The mouths and footrims are mounted in gilt metal.
Height: 15 cm each.
Condition: Excellent overall condition. The enamels retain a strong lustre and the pair present extremely well. A few minute surface flaws to the enamel towards the lower reverse. No damage or restoration observed.
