Cup and Saucer
ca. 1700 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This cup and saucer is typical of the kind of Japanese porcelain that was made in connection with the growing interest in tea drinking in late-17th-century Europe. Japanese export cups of this early period did not have handles. The use of bright enamel colours on a fine white body is characteristic of the so-called Kakiemon style. This takes its name from the family of decorators reputed to have introduced the techniques of overglaze enamelling to Arita in the 1640s. Kakiemon-style wares were the costliest and most sought after of all Japanese export ceramics. They were widely copied by 18th-century European manufacturers.
Place
Kakiemon-style wares were transported by sea from Imari, the port nearest to Arita in western Japan. Porcelains for export were sent to Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour, for shipment abroad by Dutch and Chinese merchants.
Time
During the late 17th century, 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 from 1639 until the early 1850s. 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 cup and saucer is typical of the kind of Japanese porcelain that was made in connection with the growing interest in tea drinking in late-17th-century Europe. Japanese export cups of this early period did not have handles. The use of bright enamel colours on a fine white body is characteristic of the so-called Kakiemon style. This takes its name from the family of decorators reputed to have introduced the techniques of overglaze enamelling to Arita in the 1640s. Kakiemon-style wares were the costliest and most sought after of all Japanese export ceramics. They were widely copied by 18th-century European manufacturers.
Place
Kakiemon-style wares were transported by sea from Imari, the port nearest to Arita in western Japan. Porcelains for export were sent to Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour, for shipment abroad by Dutch and Chinese merchants.
Time
During the late 17th century, 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 from 1639 until the early 1850s. 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 | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Porcelain, thrown and pressed into shape, painted in overglaze enamels and gilt |
| Brief description | Cup and saucer, porcelain painted in overglaze enamels and gilt; Japan, Arita kilns (Kakiemon type), Edo period, ca. 1700 |
| Physical description | Cup and saucer of porcelain, thrown and pressed into shape. Painted with floral sprays, scrollwork and fans in enamels and gilt. The cup rim strengthened with an iron slip. |
| Dimensions | Dimensions checked: Registered Description; 01/01/1998 by KN |
| Styles | |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Lt. Col. Kenneth Dingwall DSO |
| Summary | Object Type This cup and saucer is typical of the kind of Japanese porcelain that was made in connection with the growing interest in tea drinking in late-17th-century Europe. Japanese export cups of this early period did not have handles. The use of bright enamel colours on a fine white body is characteristic of the so-called Kakiemon style. This takes its name from the family of decorators reputed to have introduced the techniques of overglaze enamelling to Arita in the 1640s. Kakiemon-style wares were the costliest and most sought after of all Japanese export ceramics. They were widely copied by 18th-century European manufacturers. Place Kakiemon-style wares were transported by sea from Imari, the port nearest to Arita in western Japan. Porcelains for export were sent to Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour, for shipment abroad by Dutch and Chinese merchants. Time During the late 17th century, 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 from 1639 until the early 1850s. 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. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.120&A-1919 |
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| Record created | December 2, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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