A FINE BLUE AND WHITE RETICULATED HIRADO PORCELAIN KORO (INCENSE BURNER)Hirado porcelainJapan, late 19th century, Meiji periodAn elaborately worked Koro (incense burner) in blue and white Hirado porcelain. The incense burner is set on a base with four curved feet, with finely painted sides. Above this is a chrysanthemum flower, the many petals neatly arranged and incised, with four blue-painted leaves on the sides. The next layers consist of two reticulated globular ‘baskets’, increasing in size as you go up, with shishi mask and dragon handles. Through the open-worked basket weave, one can see a cylindrical core with finely painted floral motifs in blue. The cylindrical container of the top section serves as the container for the incense. The top with a lid in a similarly open-worked basket weave design. Shape: Globular Incense burner with lid on a square base with curved feetDimensions: Height 23.3 cmCondition: Remarkably in mint conditionProvenance: American private collectionAuction result comparison: A very similar slightly larger incense burner was sold at Christie’s, Masterful Exuberance, Artistic Craftsmanship of Imperial Japan: The Property of a Lady, London, 18 May 2012, lot 145