Bottle
1700-1720 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This bottle, of a type made solely for export, is one of a pair (C.1518-1910) previously in the collection of the Duke of Marlborough at Blenheim Palace. The small chrysanthemum-shaped stopper echoes the chrysanthemum design that appears on one of the four sides. The designs on the three other sides feature the peony, prunus and squirrel-and-vine. The blue, red and gold Imari-style colour scheme was much copied by 18th-century European manufacturers.
Place
Imari was the port in western Japan through which this and other products of the nearby Arita kilns were shipped. Porcelains for export were sent to Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour, for shipment abroad by Dutch and Chinese merchants.
Time
From 1639 until the mid-1850s merchants of the Dutch East India Company were the only Europeans permitted to conduct trade in Japan. This was due to the Japanese government's seclusion policy, which was enforced in this period. Hard-paste porcelain comparable in quality to Chinese and Japanese imports was first made at Meissen in Germany in the early years of the 18th century. Porcelain was made in Britain from the late 1740s onwards.
This bottle, of a type made solely for export, is one of a pair (C.1518-1910) previously in the collection of the Duke of Marlborough at Blenheim Palace. The small chrysanthemum-shaped stopper echoes the chrysanthemum design that appears on one of the four sides. The designs on the three other sides feature the peony, prunus and squirrel-and-vine. The blue, red and gold Imari-style colour scheme was much copied by 18th-century European manufacturers.
Place
Imari was the port in western Japan through which this and other products of the nearby Arita kilns were shipped. Porcelains for export were sent to Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour, for shipment abroad by Dutch and Chinese merchants.
Time
From 1639 until the mid-1850s merchants of the Dutch East India Company were the only Europeans permitted to conduct trade in Japan. This was due to the Japanese government's seclusion policy, which was enforced in this period. Hard-paste porcelain comparable in quality to Chinese and Japanese imports was first made at Meissen in Germany in the early years of the 18th century. Porcelain was made in Britain from the late 1740s onwards.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain, with Imari-style decoration in underglaze blue and overglaze enamels and gilt |
| Brief description | Bottle, porcelain painted in underglaze blue, overglaze red enamel and gilt; Japan, Arita kilns (Imari type), Edo period, 1700-1720 |
| Physical description | Japanese bottle |
| Dimensions |
|
| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions | Marked 'shin' ('to brandish') in red enamel on base |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
The Dutch traded in Japanese porcelain after about 1650. Europeans were familiar with blue and white wares from China but the vibrant colours of Japanese porcelain caused a sensation. The dark blue, red and gold colours on this bottle are typical of this porcelain, exported exclusively through the Japanese port of Imari.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Salting Bequest |
| Object history | Bequeathed by Mr. George Salting, accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. Made in Arita, Japan |
| Summary | Object Type This bottle, of a type made solely for export, is one of a pair (C.1518-1910) previously in the collection of the Duke of Marlborough at Blenheim Palace. The small chrysanthemum-shaped stopper echoes the chrysanthemum design that appears on one of the four sides. The designs on the three other sides feature the peony, prunus and squirrel-and-vine. The blue, red and gold Imari-style colour scheme was much copied by 18th-century European manufacturers. Place Imari was the port in western Japan through which this and other products of the nearby Arita kilns were shipped. Porcelains for export were sent to Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour, for shipment abroad by Dutch and Chinese merchants. Time From 1639 until the mid-1850s merchants of the Dutch East India Company were the only Europeans permitted to conduct trade in Japan. This was due to the Japanese government's seclusion policy, which was enforced in this period. Hard-paste porcelain comparable in quality to Chinese and Japanese imports was first made at Meissen in Germany in the early years of the 18th century. Porcelain was made in Britain from the late 1740s onwards. |
| Other number | Loan no. 209 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.1517-1910 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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