Japanese Imari 1690-1800 - Imari with no Underglaze Blue, Iron-red and Gold only

Object 2012057

Covered jar

Japan

c.1700

Height with cover 225 mm (8.86 inch), height without cover 148 mm (5.82 inch), diameter of mouthrim 75 mm (2.95 inch), diameter of footring 56 mm (2.20 inch), weight including cover 673 grams (23.74 ounce (oz.)), weight cover 143 grams (5.04 ounce (oz.))

Oviform jar on footring, recessed base. Wide upright neck. High domed cover with everted rim, the finial modelled as a shishi seated on a rock, decorated in Iron-red and gold with two groups of flowering plants (chrysanthemum and peonny) growing from behind a fence. Onm the shoulder draped curtains tied with ribbons and hanging tassels. On the upright neck florets between scrolls. The cover is decorated en suite, the shishi was lacquered and painted gold in Europe (of which only small spots have remained).

In category 36 'Coloured Imari with no underglaze blue, iron-red and gold only' of his Japanese export porcelain, Impey states that the implication of this singular restriction of palette, without the use of underglaze blue, is that these may be the product of a single enamelling workshop, but may or may not be the product of a single kiln. The restriction is probably one of choice, for it would hardly be cheaper, if at all, to use a wider range of enamels, and no cheaper to use underglaze blue. (Impey 2002, pp.220-221)

This covered jar might have originally been part of garniture consisting of three covered oviform-shaped jars and two cylindrical beaker vases with spreading mouths. They were very popular in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe where they were used as decorative items in the interior. Large garnitures could only be afforded by the nobility and well to do who displayed them in the representative rooms and galleries of their palaces and country houses. They were often placed on specially made pedestals or were mounted and functioned as exotic eyecatchers. Placed inside the fireplace they hid the blackened wall from view in summer and filled with sand, these jars were used as extinguishers near fire-places. (Hartog 1990, p.130, cat 158)

The origin of the five-piece set has not been established yet but it seems logical to look to China, which influenced Japanese export wares in so many ways. Transitional pieces, including large covered jars with an enamelled decoration, reached The Netherlands in the 1640s, and clearly had a decorative function in the Dutch Interior. When Chinese production waned, the Japanese took over and from the late 17th century started to make similar jars and beakers in underglaze blue to order for the Dutch. Then, suddenly, they were no longer single objects but parts of five-piece sets. Large scale porcelain production for export was resumed in China in the early 1680s and many new shapes emerged. Apparently, the garniture set was among them. What exactly triggered the change from the single vase or beaker to a set is not known. Japanese covered jars decorated in underglaze blue usually show Chinese elements such as phoenixes, large flowering plants, rocks, and sometimes figures in a landscape setting. Most jars are globular or oviform. They reflect the relatively rare hexagonal and octagonal Chinese pieces, in particular the Transitional jars of the 1640's. The Chinese had stopped producing polygonal jars in the middle of the 17th century. This Japanese preference for any-sided pieces is also apparent in the shape of dishes, saucers and bowls made for export from the late 17th century onwards. Covers of jars are domed and often quite high. The knobs are large and either flattened, round or pear-shaped and rarely facetted as is the case with this jar It is interesting to note that the decoration on the Arita pieces does not imitate some of the specific Chinese Kangxi patterns, such as the characteristic division in bands of panels but show two or three wide panels filled with motifs taken from nature or a free-flowing composition all over the surface. Complete blue-and-white garnitures are extremely rare nowadays, and most existing single vases or jars might in fact have been part of such a set. When the five-piece sets became popular, the blue-and-white pieces were largely replaced by their polychrome (Imari) counterparts. (Jörg 2003/1, pp.259-260)

Condition:

Jar: Two firing flaws to the body.

Cover: Fine crazing to the glaze and extensive wear to the lacquer and gold painting on the shishi.

References:

Hartog 1990, cat 158

Impey 2002, pp.220-221

Jörg 2003/1, pp.259-260

Price: € 299 Currency Converter