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Fine Japanese Ko Imari Sometsuke Dish 18th Century browse these categories for related items... All Items: Antiques:Regional Art:Asian:Japanese:Porcelain: Pre 1837 VR: item # 737267 Please refer to our stock # 2-826 when inquiring.
B & C Antiques P. O. Box 291 Derby, CT 06418 203-929-7312 Guest Book $330 |
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This lovely Japanese Arita somestuke (blue and white porcelain) plate with a scalloped or “rinka” rim is decorated with a central medallion surrounded by a paneled border, and it dates to the Edo period (late 18th century). The interior edge of the dish is hand painted with an unusual honeycomb-like design which alternates with leafy sections. These panels surround a central medallion of shochikubai (pine, plum and bamboo) framed by a flower head band. “Sho” represents the pine tree for longevity, “chiku” represents the bamboo for tenacity, and “bai” represents the plum tree with is blossoms for beauty. The exterior is decorated with crisp underglaze blue designs of tightly-curled arabesque style tako-karakusa (scrolling octopus vines), and there is an apocryphal six-character mark of Chenghua (a Chinese emperor in the Ming Dynasty who set very high porcelain standards) on the foot painted in underglaze blue. Blue lines and a decorative band encircle the unglazed foot ring, and there are spur marks on the glazed foot. The blue is of the old impure native cobalt used prior to the introduction of a more refined imported mineral, and there is the characteristic slightly greenish tint to the white body from the glaze. The flat rim edge has a brown iron oxide (“beni”) finish, typical of the period. Arita is a town on the island of Kyushu which has been a center of Japanese porcelain production since the seventeenth century. With Arita blue and whites, the blue is produced from a cobalt or indigo pigment and is painted straight onto the biscuit, after which the piece is glazed and fired. Ceramics for everyday use were made at the same kilns that were producing highly ornate, purely decorative wares primarily for export. CONDITION is excellent. DIMENSIONS: 8 ¼” (21 cm) diameter, 1 ¼” (3.3 cm) high. |
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