Object Type
The manufacture of this vase appears to copy Japanese cloisonné decoration but technically, such enamel vases made by the Elkington factory in Birmingham, are quite different from the Japanese originals. Whereas Japanese enamellers used traditional wire cloisonné techniques, Elkingtons made the vase by electro-deposition (electroforming), providing cavities for the enamels. The overall effect is similar to the champlevé technique, where enamel infills incised or indented metal.

Time
The influence of Japanese art on western goods was particularly strong in the late 19th century after Japan ended a self-imposed isolation that had lasted for nearly 200 years. Exhibitions of Japanese art caused a sensation in London in 1862 and in Paris in 1867. As in the decoration of this vase, the West imitated and adapted a wide range of techniques and styles used by Japanese artists and craftsmen to suit the taste of a western market.

Historical Associations
This vase was shown at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876 and may have been made especially for the exhibition. The Museum bought the vase directly from the exhibition for £13 10s. Elkingtons in Birmingham, the makers of this vase, were the only leading British silversmiths to show at Philadelphia. They produced these vases for only a few years, as it was more cost effective to import decorative enamelwares from Japan.