Satsuma Style Decorative Egg with Gold Outlined Flowers, Bird Panels, Raised Dot Moriage and Black Stand

This Satsuma style porcelain egg on a stand is a hollow ceramic egg, upright with the narrow end at the top, set on a small round black stand. The ground glaze is cream, a warm ivory, and almost every surface is covered in dense decoration in gold (bright metallic gold), yellow, orange, green, red, black and soft purple. It copies the look of Japanese Satsuma ware, with gold outlining and raised enamel dots.

Around the body, two plain cream reserves (framed panels) alternate with two busy panels. Each cream reserve shows a small dark bird perched among peonies, chrysanthemums and leaves in muted rose, purple, gold and green, with heavy gold lines traced over the flowers. The panels between them are filled with a ground of tiny raised yellow dots (moriage) and small red and black blossoms, overlaid with large stylized sunburst and chrysanthemum flowers outlined in gold. Vertical black bands lined with small gold dots divide the panels. A shoulder band near the top has orange and yellow flowers with black and white checkered petals, green leaves and raised yellow dots between gold and black lines. On top is a round medallion: a star-shaped flower in green, orange, red and yellow overpainted with gold rays, ringed by small red dots and a gold band.

The bottom is unglazed white bisque with a round hole in the center (the egg is hollow). It sits inside a black stand with a stepped, turned profile and a glossy lacquer-like finish. No mark, stamp, signature or sticker was found on the egg or stand.

On this copy: not measured; it is palm size, roughly 3 inches tall without the stand judging by the hand holding it. The gold is worn in places, with a few stray gold flecks on the cream reserve, and the unglazed bottom has orange-brown staining or glue residue around the hole. No chips or cracks were seen.

• Form: Hollow ceramic egg, upright, on a round stand
• Style: Satsuma style, gold outlining with raised dot moriage
• Ground color: Cream, a warm ivory
• Accent colors: Gold (metallic), yellow, orange, green, red, black, soft purple
• Panels: Two cream reserves with a bird among peonies and chrysanthemums; two raised yellow dot panels with gold outlined sunburst flowers
• Top: Round medallion with a green, orange and red star flower overpainted in gold
• Bottom: Unglazed bisque with a round center hole
• Stand: Black, glossy, stepped round stand
• Marks: No marks seen
• This copy: Not measured, roughly 3 in. tall; gold wear, stray gold flecks, staining on the bottom, no chips seen