ARITA c.1770 – 1790 Japanese Porcelain
An 18th Century Japanese Blue and White Porcelain Dish, Arita Kilns c.1770-1790. This Lobed Dish is Painted with a Central Scene of Fishermen on a Small Boat Pulling in a Net. The Borders Include Four Inscriptions Using the Sumihajiki Technique.
SOLD
- Condition
- N/A
- Size
- Very good, one small glaze chip c.2 x 1mm.
- Provenance
- From the collection of Japanese porcelain belonging to Spence family, removed from Japan in c.1941. These pieces of Japanese blue and white Arita porcelain were inherited from her mother by Miss Joan Spence who was born in Kobe, Japan. This type of Arita blue and white porcelain was made for the Japanese market and was not exported, consequently it is not commonly found in the West. Shortly before Japan`s attack on Pearl Harbour on the 7th of December 1942, all foreigners were obliged to leave the country with immediate effect, taking only one packing case with them. With the help of their Korean driver and her father`s contact, Joan and her mother managed to escape with eight cases on board a ship to Vancouver. Apart from some pieces that were given away, this collection of blue and white Japanese porcelain has been largely kept in tact since it left Japan in c.1941.
- Stock number
- 22959
Information
Sumihajiki :
This type of ceramic decoration appears in Japan just after the middle of the 17th century, although its origins are much earlier. The effect created is that of painted white lines cutting through blue, this is achieved using a wax resist type paint called `sumi` which protects the white porcelain from the cobalt blue over-painting. The `sumi` is burnt off during the firing to leaving white lines to contrast against the blue.