Pair of Japanese Kutani Bottle Vases with Butterfly Motifs, Meiji Period c. 1875

A finely painted pair of Kutani bottle vases with the more unusual inclusion of black and lilac with the typical red and gold. The butterflies are delicately painted and display great movement.

Both have a six character mark in red to the base. The right-hand column reads Kaga no Kuni. Kaga is the old prefecture name and porcelain from this region was called Kaga prior to the Meiji perid. The name Kutani became known outside the area only from the middle or end of the Meiji period (1868–1912)