Figure
1690-1720 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This figure is an example of the type of porcelain made in late 17th to early 18th-century Japan for export to Europe. The distinctive so-called Imari-style colour scheme with which it is painted 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. There are two empty holes at the back of the figure's sleeve intended, probably, to hold a pair of model samurai swords.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain painted in overglaze enamels and gold |
| Brief description | Figure of man, porcelain, painted in Imari style, Japan, Arita, 1690-1720 |
| Physical description | Figure of a man dressed in a kimono ensemble |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Purchased from the Japanese Commissioners for the Philadelphia Exposition of 1876, accessioned in 1877. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Association | |
| Summary | This figure is an example of the type of porcelain made in late 17th to early 18th-century Japan for export to Europe. The distinctive so-called Imari-style colour scheme with which it is painted 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. There are two empty holes at the back of the figure's sleeve intended, probably, to hold a pair of model samurai swords. |
| Bibliographic reference | Augustus Wollaston Franks and M. Shioda, Japanese Pottery. [London]: Chapman & Hall Ltd., 1880. South Kensington Museum Art Handbooks; 18.
Catalogue number 167 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 325-1877 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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