The final decades of the nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth saw the production of Japan’s most exquisite cloisonné enamels. Their manufacture was stimulated by international demand kindled at expositions in Europe and America and driven by artists’ interest in creating works that would simultaneously embody Japanese character and demonstrate extraordinary technical sophistication. This publication documents over one hundred masterpieces of the art from the Stephen W. Fisher collection – one of the world’s finest collections of Japanese cloisonné enamel. Among the many treasures in this collection are works by Namikawa Sosuke, Namikawa Yasuyuki, and Ando Jubei, as well as a host of other masters. A personal account of the collection’s genesis and development reveals the aesthetic and stylistic affinities that gave shape to this beautiful collection. Robert Mintz’s accompanying essay surveys the intricate process of cloisonné enamelling, traces the rapid technical innovation that took place in Japan during the nineteenth century, and explores the artistic exchanges between Japan and the West. The catalogue provides brief accounts of the major workshops represented in the collection and descriptive information on each of the works illustrated.

HES & DE GRAAF Publishers is the worldwide distributor for this and other publications of The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore USA