Near Pair of Edo Period Small Imari Tokkuri

Japanese porcelain bottles with three color Imari polychrome decoration, c. 1720.
 
Dimensions: Approximately 5” x 2” x 2”.
 
Decoration: 
The necks are decorated with gold and blue bands.
 
The shoulders are decorated with red panels separated by blue and gilt designs.
 
The edges are edged in blue.
 
Each side is decorated with a red and gold design.
 
The bases are unmarked.
 
An example of one bottle is pictured in P.L.J. Arts, “Japanese Porcelain”, plate 27, p. 52.
 
The shape is derived from German stoneware or Dutch glass bottle forms.
 
The neck is trumpet shaped and does not appear to be intended to have a stopper. For Japanese examples, this style is called “Tokkuri” or sake bottles.
 
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. Like these bottles, hollowware was often based on European stoneware and earthenware forms. 
 
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, exports from Japan rapidly declined. However private trade continued into the 18th century.
 
References:
Impey, “Japanese Export Porcelain”.
Jorg, “Fine & Curious, Japanese Export Porcelain in Durch Collections”.
New Orleans Museum of Art. “Imari, Japanese Porcelain for European Palaces”.
The Kyushu Ceramic Museum, “Imari, Japanese Porcelain Exported to Europe”.
Shimura, “The History of Imari, The Symbols and Mysteries of Antique Japanese Porcelain”.
 
Condition: Under black light one appears to have had restoration to the neck, glaze frit on one foot under the base; otherwise in excellent condition consistent with age and usage. Please examine the photos; they are part of the description.