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Pair of condiment bottles
Unknown - Enlarge image
Pair of condiment bottles
- Place of origin:
Arita, Japan (made)
- Date:
1690-1720 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Porcelain painted in underglaze blue, overglaze enamels, and gold
- Museum number:
336-1877
- Gallery location:
World Ceramics, room 145, case 10, shelf 3
These condiment containers were made at the Arita kilns in western Japan. The forms were probably based on designs provided by agents of the Dutch East India Company. They may have been sold in sets for oil, vinegar and soya sauce, sometimes accompanied by small trays. The decoration is in the so-called Imari style, Imari being the name of the port from which porcelains made at Arita were shipped to Chinese and Dutch traders in Nagasaki for export to China and the rest of the world. The small holes near the tops of the handles would have been used to tie stoppers to the bottles.
