Detail View: The AMICA Library: Shallow Bowl

ASIA.1979.247

1998

Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects

Asian; Far East Asian; Japanese

Japanese

Shallow Bowl

Full view

Edo period, late 17th-early 18th century

1667

1733

Porcelain painted with overglaze enamels (Arita ware, Kutani style)

Ceramics

Japan, Saga Prefecture

H. 2 3/4 in. (7 cm); D. 13 1/4 in. (33.7 cm)

Asia Society

New York, New York, USA

1979.247

Asia Society: The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection

http://www.asiasociety.org

The rapid development and diversification of the Japanese porcelain industry in the 17th century is one of the most fascinating episodes in the history of ceramics. During this period, the city of Arita, located in the Saga Prefecture in Hizen Province on the southern island of Kyushu, became the largest and most important center for the production of porcelain in the world. Several factors contributed to this development. One was the contribution of the many technically advanced potters brought to Japanfrom Korea during the late 16th-century Japanese invasions of that country. Another was the prohibitive effects of the civil disarray in 17th-century China on its ceramic industry, which led Europeans and other customers in search of highly prized porcelains to turn to Japan.

Many questions remain regarding the development of porcelain in Japan. Traditionally, the discovery of the type of clay needed to produce porcelains has been credited to a potter named Ri Sampei, who was one of the Korean artisansbrought to Japan. Production of porcelains began around 1610 in the Karatsu stoneware kilns located just to the north of Arita. Karatsu wares also reflected the influence of other Korean advances, such as sophisticated types of kilns and kick wheels for throwing.

The majority of Japanese porcelains are classified as Arita wares, based on the location of their production. Arita wares are traditionally subdivided into Imari, Kakiemon, and Nabeshima styles (although this system is currently under revision). There is also a certain amount of evidence to suggest that Kutani-style wares were produced in Arita. The bodies of Kutani-style wares are similar to those of Arita porcelains, and it has been speculated that the bodies may have been produced in Arita and then sent to Kutani for overglaze painting. The palette and type of decoration of the earliest Arita porcelains with overglaze decoration are strikingly similar to those found on mid-17th-century ceramics that

Asia Society. Handbook of the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection. New York: Asia Society, [1981], p. 108.

Treasures of Asian Art: Selections from the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, The Asia Society, New York. Hong Kong and Singapore: Hong Kong Museum of Art and National Museum Singapore, 1993, pp. 172-73.

Treasures of Asian Art: Selections from the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, The Asia Society, New York. Tokyo: Idemitsu Museum of Arts, 1992, pp. 92, 139.

Washburn, Gordon Bailey. 'The John D. Rockefeller III Oriental Collections.' ARTnews 69 (September 1970), pp. 36-45.

Young, Mahonri Sharp. 'Treasures of the Orient: A Rockefeller Collection.' Apollo (November 1970), pp. 329-39.

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