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Japanese Arita Porcelain Benki Bathroom Fixture browse these categories for related items... All Items: Vintage Arts:Regional Art:Asian:Japanese:Porcelain: Pre 1930: item # 875020 Please refer to our stock # 2-853 when inquiring.
B & C Antiques P. O. Box 291 Derby, CT 06418 203-929-7312 Guest Book $140 |
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Rarely seen, this heavily potted Imari sometsuke (blue and white porcelain) ceramic piece is an actual squat toilet used from the late Meiji to early Showa periods in Japan. This one dates to the early 20th century. The cobalt blue transfer print design consists of a scrolling vine (“karakusa”) and flower motif all around the edges, with a key fret pattern design along the exterior rim. The undecorated porcelain base is the part that would have been set into the floor, so that only the decorated portion was above ground. The interior of the hemispherical hood at the back of the toilet is decorated with a floral spray and the exterior with a profusion of flowers and grasses. Known as “benki,” these attractive blue and white ceramic antique toilets had originally been set into the floors of Japanese inns, elaborate restaurants or wealthy homes. Since the standard Japanese bathroom fixture has always been unadorned, some suggest that these elaborately decorated pieces indicate European influence. Hand-painted ones are generally older than the stenciled designs. As a decorative item, they work best as planters or in the bathroom itself as a magazine holder. (See examples on page 150 in “Japanese Accents in Western Interiors” by Rao and Mahoney.) CONDITION is very good. There are some old chips and stains, which is not uncommon on such a utilitarian object. DIMENSIONS: 20 ˝” (52 cm) long, 10 ˝” (26.7 cm) wide, 11” (28 cm) high. |
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