Pair of Edo Period Kraak Style Bowls

Underglaze blue Japanese Arita molded bowls, c. 1690.
 
Dimensions: Approximately 8⅜” diameter.
 
Decoration: 
While generically bowls, their shape is that of Dutch klapmuts. Klapmuts are a uniquely Dutch form said to be named after the shape of an upside-down woolen cap of the same name.  Klapmuts were produced in Delftware, Chinese Kraakware, and copied by Arita potters for export.
 
The border and interior walls are decorated with four alternating decorative panels of flowers and symbols, separated by smaller narrow panels. Above two of the larger panels and within the smaller panels is a geometric design that could represent the good luck cash symbol.
 
A Chinese Kraak example with a similar border is discussed and illustrated in Rinaldi, “Kraak Porcelain” pl. 140 at pp. 129 – 133.
 
In the center there is a design of flowers, possible chrysanthemums, insects, and, in the background, a mountain.
 
Under the rim flower sprays, and the outer wall is decorated with four large panels of scepter heads (ruyi or ju-i) separated by smaller panels. Two blue lines encircle the foot.
 
 The base of one dish has five kiln spurs and the other four.
 
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, dishes, and bowls 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. 
 
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”.
Rinaldi, “Kraak Porcelain”.
The Kyushu Ceramic Museum, “Complete Catalog of Shibata Collection”.
 
Condition: Minor glaze imperfections from manufacture, one dish has a frit on the foot rim; otherwise in excellent condition consistent with age and usage. Please examine the photos; they are part of the description.