Underglaze blue Japanese Arita molded porcelain dish, c. 1700.
 
Dimensions: Approximately 8½” diameter.
 
Decoration: 
The rim is dressed with iron-oxide enamel, called “kuchibeni” (meaning lipstick).
 
The border is decorated with sixteen decorative panels alternating between flowers and geometric designs.
 
The center is decorated with flowers, an insect, and a scholar’s rock.
 
The reverse is decorated with a karakusa vine, and two blue lines encircle the foot.
 
The base has a single kiln spur and is decorated with a blue circle.
 
With the disruption of the Jingdezhen kilns in the middle of the 17the century, the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC) turned to Japan to provide porcelain for the Dutch market. This was primarily blue and white wares produced at the Arita kilns.
 
Blue-and white plates and dishes like this were usually decorated in the Wanli Kraak style, i.e. a border divided into panels of at least two patterns with a pictorial center design. The Arita versions closely mimic the Chinese Wanli Kraak style, but often with distinctive Japanese elements.
 
By the 1680s, the Jingdezhen kilns were back in operation, producing porcelain for export in larger quantities and at lower cost than the Japanese kilns. Consequently, imports from Japan rapidly declined. However, Dutch East India Company imports and private trade continued into the 18th century.
 
References:
Barry Davis Oriental Art, “Ko-Imari Porcelain from the Collection of Oliver Impey”.
Impey, “Japanese Export Porcelain”.
Jorg, “Fine & Curious, Japanese Export Porcelain in Dutch Collections”.
MacGuire, “Four Centuries of Blue & White”.
 
Condition: Faint hairline on rim, restored rim frit; otherwise in excellent condition consistent with age and usage; otherwise in excellent condition consistent with age and usage. Please examine the photos; they are part of the description.