A PAIR OF IMPERIAL JAPANESE SILVER PRESENTATION VASES MEIJI OR LATER, 19TH OR 20TH CENTURY Each vase with a tall cylindrical body elegantly decorated with a single kikumon , the sixteen-petalled chrysanthemum crest of the Imperial family; each stamped with a jungin (pure silver) mark underneath, both 26.1cm. (2) Provenance: from the collection of Dame Marie Tempest (1864 -1942), and thence by descent. Dame Marie Tempest (née Marie Susan Etherington,1864-1942) was an English actress sometimes referred to as ‘the Queen of her profession’. Tempest’s career spanned over five decades, making her stage debut in 1885 in the operetta Boccaccio at the Comedy Theatre. The title role in Dorothy (1887), running for 931 performances, established her career and reputation. In 1914, she undertook an eight-year worldwide tour, visiting America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Singapore, China, the Philippines and Japan, where she may have acquired this pair of vases. In 1935, she celebrated her golden jubilee with a performance attended by George V and Queen Mary, and two years later, she was made a Dame of the Order of the British Empire (DBE).