Shoki-Imari Porcelain Serving Dish, Early 17th Century

A Shoki-Imari Porcelain Dish, Arita Kilns c.1620 -1640. Painted with simple quickly applied lines with some washes of infilling, the central square has four ruyi secred fungus attached at the center. The rest with decorative designs displayed at uneven angles. The glaze on the front shows drips and unevenness, the colour of the glaze is a blue green over a dark body. The form and simple design are typical of some  Shoki-Imari and relate to contemporary pottery. This dish was made before Japanese porcelain was exported to Europe. Had it been exported, it is difficult to image how it would have been received in Europe. Perhaps, it would have been dismissed as too simple, even crude or unfinished. These failings would have endeared it to the Japanese, simplicity, understatement and modest. It just depends on one’s perspective. This Shoki-Imari dish is in some senses related to the ethos of the English Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th century. It might seem like a strange connection, it is to do with honesty of construction, and simplicity of form. The brush strokes are clear, simple lines, with the ending and beginning of each clearly visible. Arts and Craft furniture was plain, natural wood, pegs showing construction were about the honesty of the craftsperson, but perhaps more importantly the honesty of the object. So, it isn’t surprising that the Arts and Crafts movement had a strong following in Japan.

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