Nagoya, Meiji era (1868-1912), late 19th/early 20th century The hexagonal body set on three short feet, decorated in polychrome enamels and worked in silver wire of varying gauge with six lobed panels, each framed at the top by a shishi (Chinese mythological lion dog) head and around the sides by rain dragons, each enclosing a different scene comprising: (1) Trailing purple and white wisteria; (2) Two geese descending toward three geese standing beside reeds; (3) Flowering shrubs of mountain cherry; (4) Clumps of bearded irises; (5) Flowering stalks of chrysanthemums; (6) A solitary butterfly hovering over clumps of blossoming peonies, all reserved against a slate-blue ground scattered with white chrysanthemum heads interwoven among tightly scrolling karakusa ('Chinese grasses'), the domed cover similarly decorated and surmounted by a shibuichi tear-shaped knop, the neck with a narrow band of repeated geometric and foliate motifs, the interior lined in gilt copper; unsigned. 31cm (12 1/8in) high. (2).