Dish
1690-1720 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This large dish decorated in the centre with a vase of flowering branches is a fine example of a type of porcelain made in early 18th-century Japan for export to Europe. On its base there appears a Dresden inventory mark, indicating that the piece came from the collection of the Elector Frederick Augustus I of Saxony, ‘Augustus the Strong’, who died in 1733. The areas of dark blue were achieved by painting with cobalt oxide under a clear glaze and firing to a high temperature in a reducing atmosphere - one in which the kiln is starved of oxygen so that the burning fuel draws chemically bonded oxygen from the reactive parts of the ceramic material, leaving them in a reduced state and changing their colour. The gold, red and other enamel colours were applied and fused on in subsequent, low-temperature firings. The distinctive so-called Imari-style colour scheme was much copied by 18th-century European manufacturers. The term Imari comes from the name of the port in western Japan through which this and other products of the nearby Arita kilns were shipped. Porcelains for export were sent to Nagasaki and then shipped abroad by Chinese and Dutch merchants, the Dutch, who were based on the island of Dejima, being the only Europeans permitted to conduct trade in Japan at this time.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Porcelain painted in underglaze blue, overglaze iron-red enamel and gilt |
Brief description | Dish, porcelain painted in underglaze blue, iron-red enamel and gilt; Japan, Arita kilns (Imari type), Edo period, 1690-1720 |
Physical description | Dish of porcelain. White ground, painted with flowering branches in a vase in the centre, and round the margin with phoenixes and flowers in red, blue and gold. |
Dimensions |
|
Styles | |
Marks and inscriptions | 'N:313+' incised (Inventory mark of the Dresden Japanese Palace Collection) |
Credit line | Given by H.M. Queen Victoria |
Object history | Given by H. M. Queen Victoria, accessioned in 1860. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. This dish was formerly in the collection of the Porcelain Palace in Dresden. It was subsequently owned by Queen Victoria, who presented it to the V&A in 186. |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | This large dish decorated in the centre with a vase of flowering branches is a fine example of a type of porcelain made in early 18th-century Japan for export to Europe. On its base there appears a Dresden inventory mark, indicating that the piece came from the collection of the Elector Frederick Augustus I of Saxony, ‘Augustus the Strong’, who died in 1733. The areas of dark blue were achieved by painting with cobalt oxide under a clear glaze and firing to a high temperature in a reducing atmosphere - one in which the kiln is starved of oxygen so that the burning fuel draws chemically bonded oxygen from the reactive parts of the ceramic material, leaving them in a reduced state and changing their colour. The gold, red and other enamel colours were applied and fused on in subsequent, low-temperature firings. The distinctive so-called Imari-style colour scheme was much copied by 18th-century European manufacturers. The term Imari comes from the name of the port in western Japan through which this and other products of the nearby Arita kilns were shipped. Porcelains for export were sent to Nagasaki and then shipped abroad by Chinese and Dutch merchants, the Dutch, who were based on the island of Dejima, being the only Europeans permitted to conduct trade in Japan at this time. |
Collection | |
Accession number | 7333-1860 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
Record created | June 25, 2009 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest