Dish with samurai. Porcelain. Possibly Imari, Japan, 19th century. With marks on the base. Deep glazed ceramic plate decorated with a composition in blue on white on the outside (three phoenixes with six tails alternated with simple floral compositions, and with two stripes above and below) and multicolored on the inside (a procession with an important samurai or shogun, accompanied by a few soldiers, traveling through a natural landscape with flowers, rocks and tree branches, and a series of areas enhanced with a particular background of geometric elements, birds and clouds in a striking tone; the composition is framed by a band with a zigzag line and floral elements in the triangular spaces it leaves, a fringe similar to one of those on the outside of the piece). The composition of the interior, as usual, recalls details of both Japanese ceramics and the world of ukiyo-e: the flag or standard carried by one of the soldiers has an emblem (also present on some garments of the important horseman of the match, the which bears arrows, bow, etc.) reminiscent of some Japanese "mon" (Tosa clan, etc.), the figures, their armor... Likewise, it is possible to appreciate details of Chinese ceramics, porcelain and art (rocks, motifs, etc.), among which the marks on the base should be highlighted, more similar to examples from the Ming dynasty of the Chenghua period than to Japanese works contemporary to the piece. In the West, "Imari porcelain" is known as a production usually decorated with bright colors made in Arita for export in large quantities, especially between the second half of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century, although trade continued. even up to the 20th century. The name is due to the port of Imari, from which the pieces were sent to Nagasaki, where the Dutch East India Company and China had trading posts; In the West, colored pieces used to be called “Imari”, others were known as “kakiemon”, and those decorated in blue and white “Arita”. Normally, the blue goes under the glaze, and other details (red, gold, black in outlines, etc.) are added above the glaze (sometimes the different styles of decoration on the glaze of Kakiemon and Kutani are also included within the ceramic or porcelain "Imari" -in the Western sense of the term-). Their popularity caused them to be copied both in China and Europe (Delft in the Netherlands at first; then “Imari” and “Kakiemon” designs and colors were inspired by early orientalizing pieces produced in Meissen or Chantilly, and then Vincennes , Vienna, etc.; also noted are the early 19th-century production of Robert Chamberlain's Worcester porcelain, and that of the Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Compani, where Imari-style designs are still popular today; recall also masters such as Cornelis Pronk and his Chinese-influenced designs, or the arrival of ukiyo-e in Europe).
· Size: 62x62x9 cms.
ANTIQUES
