A pair of vases
These two vases are decorated with naturalistically represented cranes and pine trees on a deep-blue ground. Both pine trees and cranes symbolise long life. The detailed rendering and sophisticated colour nuances illustrate the technical progress undergone by the cloisonné enamel process since the opening of Japan in 1854. Like Tokyo and Nagoya, Yokohama was a centre for the export of cloisonné enamel wares.