17th/Early 18th Century Blue and White Arita Porcelain Jar

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A beautiful blue and white porcelain jar fired ~1680 to 1710

This heavily potted jar features a quick, geometric collar and shoulder of fine line work above concentric rings and a scrolling cloud lower border.  The design on the main body of the jar flows from a central flowering tree with branches reaching around in either direction - one horizontally circling a full 3/4 of the jar, supporting an upside-down Hō-ō bird with dynamic, arching tail and flowing feathers, culminating in a spray of large blossoms and lobed leaves  - the other, a single branch with a large flower striking a more vertical punctuation.   A single, thin ring frames the  bottom of the central panel and rests above two concentric rings about the foot.  The shading of the cobalt is striking with soft, light washed areas off-set by dramatic dark purpley-blue areas that rise almost to the surface of the glaze

This porcelain is superbly well preserved with a fine overall crackle to the glaze.  There is a small chip to top rim, some staining to the lower 1/3 of the jar, and a split in the foot that occurred during firing.  Without cracks or traces of restoration.  High quality craftsmanship with some expected small defects that make this pot unique - a lean in the overall shape, iron spots and pock marks, some missing/slipped areas of glaze, and overall crazing - all hallmarks to the period of production.

D:  — cm

H: — cm 

A beautiful blue and white Ai-Kutani dish fired ~1663 to 1681

This 17th-century Japanese Ai-Kutani, Arita Kilns -- Kanbun 寛文 (1663–1673) or Enpô 延宝 era (1673 – 1681) -- blue and white dish depicts a pair of cranes (tancho) in a bamboo forest.  This thinly potted dish has a highly detailed, embossed cavetto of six cartouche bearing different symbols:  a pair of cranes, a pine bough, flowering prunus, a Buddhist auspicious symbol of Bodhi leaf (tree of awakening) with ribbon, a clump of bamboo, and a four-legged, mythical turtle-dragon. 

The porcelain body is thin and translucent. The glaze, as is common with the Ai-Kutani wares, is evenly crazed to the front and back. 

The quality of the cobalt underglaze is striking:  inside a pair of concentric circles, the central scene balances strong, detailed, and somewhat stern line-work about the gaze of the cranes (emphasized by the negative space of the eye of the protective crane on the right) with fluid, washed infill and a more flowing and gestural approach to the bamboo.  The ground is easy and swells to define a path while the bamboo arches fully over the scene to create a feeling of protection under the canopy.  The composition is uniquely Japanese and balanced: the lower, weighted portion off-setting the open negative space above - the ground and bamboo acting as a frame.

The reverse has a large Fuku (luck) seal with a single spur mark, there are two concentric rings.

The dish is in outstanding condition with no damage or evidence of repair.  The glaze is bright and lustrous after 400  years.  There are some iron spots and glaze imperfections as are to be expected. There are some surface sccratches.

D: 13.9 cm

H:   3.7 cm 

A beautiful blue and white Ai-Kutani dish fired ~1663 to 1681

This 17th-century Japanese Ai-Kutani, Arita Kilns -- Kanbun 寛文 (1663–1673) or Enpô 延宝 era (1673 – 1681) -- an absolutely exquisite dish!  From the rare size, the crisply delineated and moulded everted rim of nyoi (ritual scepters) above a cavetto bearing 4 cartouches with lotus blossoms alternating with narrow panels bracketed by ruyi clouds, to the delicate, translucent porcelain body - Just wow! The porcelain body of this dish approaches the very best “egg shell” porcelain from the Chinese Ming period - a truly rare example of the best early Imari; so delicate, yet it has survived almost 400 years.

The cobalt blue underglaze painting is equally refined.  Framed within two concentric circles is a lovely landscape looking across a bay to far off mountains.  Distance is depicted vertically.  In the foreground, a little footbridge leads to house overlooking a bay, tucked behind rolling hills.  A tall tree protects the house and softens its angular rooflines.  Just beyond the tree is the faintest idea of two distant mountains shrouded in mist.  On the horizon to the upper left of the scene, three triangular mountains behind two boats balance the hills of the foreground.  The reverse depicts 3 clumps of bamboo intersecting a rolling cloud or wave-like band.  There are two concentric blue rings about the side of the foot, inside of which are a single blue ring and a scrolling Fuku mark.

The form of the dish recalls the Wanli Ming kraak style Klapmuts bowls commissioned by the Dutch East Company in the late 16th century, but eclipses those rather crude and quickly drawn precedents in quality - I can’t imagine this was made for export

The dish is in outstanding condition with no damage or evidence of repair.  The glaze is bright and lustrous after 400  years. 

D: 13.9 cm

H:   3.7 cm 

A beautiful blue and white Arita dish fired ~1769 to 1790

--DRAFT -- A nicely shaded Arita kiln plate depicting a horse which is surrounded by pine shaped bushes. The backside is decorated with scrolling vines and show the typical kiln supports at the center. 

A similar dish is in the Shibata Collection | Kyushu Ceramic Museum, #3492

D: 20 cm

H:   3 cm 

A beautiful blue and white Arita dish fired ~1660 to 1680

--DRAFT -- A  lapis colored thinly glazed dish - luminous - The shape of the dish is flat with sharp vertical sides - lending a solidity to the form  window on to a landscape 

A similar dish is in the Shibata Collection | Kyushu Ceramic Museum, #1358

D: 14.5 cm

H:       3 cm