A Japanese Cloisonné Enamel Bowl Attributed to Gonda Hirosuke Meiji period

Of generous circular form with gently rounded sides, the sky-blue enamel ground finely worked in silver wire and shaded enamels to depict two carp (koi) swimming through soft currents of water. The composition is minimal yet masterful, allowing the brilliant turquoise ground to act as open space, a hallmark of the finest late-Meiji artistic cloisonné.

The carp are rendered with exceptional naturalism: delicately shaded scales, expressive eyes, and subtle tonal gradation within the fins, creating the illusion of movement beneath water. The restrained design, use of negative space, and painterly enamel technique strongly relate to works produced by the workshop of Gonda Hirosuke, one of the most refined cloisonné artists working in Nagoya in the late Meiji period.

The rim and foot are mounted in brass, framing the enamel body in a manner typical of high-quality presentation pieces of this school.

Diameter: 25 cm 

This bowl exemplifies the quiet elegance and technical confidence of late Meiji cloisonné, where simplicity, balance, and mastery of enamel shading replace the dense decorative approach of earlier periods.