Dish

Object Details

• Description

  Clay: white porcelain. Five spur marks on base.

  Glaze: transparent, slightly grayish with some black specks.

  Decoration: underglaze blue, a floral border, and in center, stylized pine tree leaning over a small plant. Outside, 2 stylized lotus scrolls.

  Mark: Imitation 4-character Ming Ch'eng-hua mark badly written on base.

• Marks

  Imitation Ming Ch'eng hua mark badly written on base

• Label

  The numerous Arita-area kilns produced various styles of enameled porcelains, but pieces decorated simply with underglaze cobalt were always the mainstay, especially for the domestic market. The lineage of this much-simplified garden-like motif within a floral border may be traced to the large blue-and-white plates of the Chinese Yuan dynasty. The Chinese associations of the decoration are emphasized by an imitation Ming dynasty Chenghua reign (1465–1487) mark written on the base.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Japanese Ceramics from Past to Present (February 18, 1983 to February 16, 1984)

  Japanese Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to January 17, 1980)

• Origin

  Arita, Saga prefecture, Japan

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1770s, 1780s, 1790s, 1730s, 1740s, 1750s, 1760s, 1800s, 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, 1610s, 1650s, 1640s, 1630s, 1620s, 1690s, 1840s, 1680s, 1850s, 1670s, 1860s, 1660s

• Place

  Japan, Saga prefecture, Arita

• Topic

  Trees, Pine tree, Porcelain, Art, Arita ware, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Ceramics, Plants, Flowers, Lotus

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)