japanese Blue and White
Sometsuke (apply dye) is the general term to describe Japanese blue and white porcelain and features the single color of cobalt blue painting on white porcelain, which displays simple beauty and elegance. In sometsuke, a paint called gosu (roasted cobalt ore) is used to decorate the unglazed surface with patterns and motifs. It takes mastery to draw lines neatly on a rough unglazed surface. The skill to beautifully render natural scenes, animals, and patterned is definitely something to be appreciated. This technique was originally used in Persia and Tang Dynasty China, but it is said the style that is still used today was established in Jingdezhen at the end of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) in China.
Ai-Kutani is the Sometsuke style of the colored enamel Ko-kutani wares, using only cobalt underglaze.
Ai-Kakiemon is the Sometsuke style of the colored enamel Ko-Kakiemon wares, using only cobalt underglaze.
(refer to the Japanese Polychrome page for an overview of the colored Kutani and Kakiemon wares)
current offerings
17th Century Blue and White Arita Porcelain Pot
17th Century Blue and White Arita Porcelain Pot
17th Century Blue and White Arita Porcelain Pot
17th Century Ai-Kutani Lobed Dish
17th Century Blue and White Arita Porcelain Pot
17th Century Blue and White Arita Porcelain Pot
17th Century Ai-Kutani Lobed Dish
17th Century Blue and White Arita Porcelain Pot
17th Century Ai-Kakiemon Hō-ō Birds Dish
17th Century Ai-Kakiemon Hō-ō Birds Dish
17th Century Ai-Kakiemon Deer and Lightning Dish
17th Century Ai-Kakiemon Hō-ō Birds Dish
17th Century Ai-Kakiemon Deer and Lightning Dish
17th Century Ai-Kakiemon Deer and Lightning Dish
17th Century Ai-Kakiemon Deer and Lightning Dish
17th Century Ai-Kakiemon Shishi Dish
17th Century Ai-Kakiemon Deer and Lightning Dish
17th Century Ai-Kakiemon Deer and Lightning Dish
17th / Early 18th Century Blue and White Arita Porcelain Pot
17th / Early 18th Century Blue and White Arita Porcelain Pot
17th / Early 18th Century Blue and White Arita Porcelain Pot
17th Century Ai-Kutani Bamboo Forest and Crane Dish
17th / Early 18th Century Blue and White Arita Porcelain Pot
17th / Early 18th Century Blue and White Arita Porcelain Pot
17th Century Ai-Kutani Blue and White Moulded Landscape Bowl
17th / Early 18th Century Blue and White Arita Porcelain Pot
17th Century Ai-Kutani Blue and White Moulded Landscape Bowl
Late 18th Century Arita Sometsuke Horse Dish
Late 18th Century Arita Sometsuke Horse Dish
17th Century Ai-Kutani Blue and White Moulded Landscape Bowl
17th Century Lapis Window Dish
Late 18th Century Arita Sometsuke Horse Dish
17th Century Lapis Window Dish