Vintage Japanese Ceramic Tree Trunk Double Bud Vase With Applied Birds And Roses Appraisal

Vintage Japanese Ceramic Tree Trunk Double Bud Vase with Applied Birds and Roses

This is a decorative ceramic double bud vase designed with a rustic faux-bois or 'tree trunk' aesthetic. The piece is constructed from glazed porcelain or fine stoneware, featuring two vertical cylindrical hollows modeled to resemble textured tree bark with knots and branch stubs. Centered between the columns are two sculpted birds—a larger one positioned above a smaller nest-bound bird—adorned with applied three-dimensional porcelain roses in a tea-pink hue and green foliage. The color palette is predominantly a pale, misty gray with extensive hand-painted gold gilt accents highlighting the feathers, beak, petal edges, and bark texture. The craftsmanship indicates a mid-20th-century Japanese origin (Occupied Japan era or shortly after), characterized by the delicate molded 'spaghetti' style flower applications. Regarding condition, there is visible wear to the gold cold paint highlights (fading and rubbing), and potential minor flea bites on the thin porcelain petals, which are highly susceptible to chipping. The glaze appears bright, though there is some surface grime in the crevices. Such pieces were popular export items from Japan in the 1940s and 1950s, serving both as functional vases and ornamental kitsch objects.