A very fine sometsuke dish of scalloped octalobed form painted with a mon form central motif of a symmetrically arranged pair of leaping carp. Framed by a continuous band of botan karakusa, Peonie lotus scroll, within which are reserves containing, dragons, Ryu, in clouds and a gilt rim, kin-beni. The reverse decorated with hagi-karakusa, vine pattern and a six character mark for the Chinese Emperor Jiajing. The quality of the painting is of the highest quality...

A very fine sometsuke dish of scalloped octalobed form painted with a mon form central motif of a symmetrically arranged pair of leaping carp. Framed by a continuous band of botan karakusa, Peonie lotus scroll, within which are reserves containing, dragons, Ryu, in clouds and a gilt rim, kin-beni. The reverse decorated with hagi-karakusa, vine pattern and a six character mark for the Chinese Emperor Jiajing. The quality of the painting is of the highest quality...

A nagazara or long dish dating to the late 18th or early 19th century with a central motif of a Chinese style landscape framed by a pattern of spirals and flower-heads, Asters or Chrysanthemums a deconstructed version of a contemporary Chinese Qing dynasty pattern (see Diana Cargo etc). a staple of the Chinese export trade to South East Asia, produced both at Jingdezhen and at provincial kilns in South China...

An Arita rectangular form dish decorated with an elaborate enamelled Lotus arabesque set against a yellow ground with a central reserve with a Chinese style landscape. The reverse painted with waves and landscape elements and a longitudinal nien hao six character mark for the Emperor Chenghua. The dish dates to the late 18th century circa 1770-1800. The lotus with yellow ground immitates contemporary Chinese Imperial porcelain of the Qianlong period...

An Arita porcelain small bowl with barbed lotus style lobed rim, a namasu, typically used in Japanese cuisine to serve various pickles. Potted in mid 17C transitional Chinese style without a foot-rim as such, but an unglazed ring, kodai. The interior of the bowl painted in ko-sometsuke style. One half painted with Su Shi’s “First Ode to the Red Cliffe”, divided into twelve columns reading from right to left...

Ko Imari Oranda-jin Hexagonal Hakukaku Mukuzuke c.1800 A deep octagonal bowl, mukuzuke, or choku, decorated with eight panels containing figures of orand-jin Dutchmen in various poses and involved in a number of activities. Some carry canes or cudgels and are perhaps involved in some sort of martial activity, whilst others carry a dove, a chatusbo (tea-jar) and a ruyi sceptre, auspicious objects...

An interesting Japanese Arita saucer form dish decorated in a transitional style incorporating elements of the Kakiemon style, notably the asymmetric elements within the reserves to the outer rim of the dish, with Katamono style motifs dating to the late 17th century or early 18th century and made for the domestic market. For a more sophisticated version of this type of design in Katamono style dated 1680-1700 see Shibata Volume II no 422...

An interesting Japanese Arita saucer form dish decorated in a transitional style incorporating elements of the Kakiemon style, notably the asymmetric elements within the reserves to the outer rim of the dish, with Katamono style motifs dating to the late 17th century or early 18th century and made for the domestic market. For a more sophisticated version of this type of design in Katamono style dated 1680-1700 see Shibata Volume II no 422...

A tall beaker of bell form decorated in underglaze blue with a pair of auspicious Dragons each clasping a “tama” pearl above its head set against a lightening field with auspicious ruyi form clouds supporting respectively artemesin leaves on which are a pair of scrolls bound by ribbons and a flaming pearl. The design has been adapted from a Chinese precedent of the sixteenth century but with a Japanese twist to the design...

A tall beaker of bell form decorated in underglaze blue with a pair of auspicious Dragons each clasping a “tama” pearl above its head set against a lightening field with auspicious ruyi form clouds supporting respectively artemesin leaves on which are a pair of scrolls bound by ribbons and a flaming pearl. The design has been adapted from a Chinese precedent of the sixteenth century but with a Japanese twist to the design...

An Arita abalone (Mother of Pearl) shaped dish painted in somenishikide style with a stylised landscape of Mountainous Islands, a shoreline with rocky outcrops with various trees including Pine, flowers and grasses with a rather peculiar and precarious structure in the foreground seemingly lacking several posts in its construction. The reverse decorated with landscape vignettes to the reverse and a six character mark for the Chinese Emperor Qianlong...

A rare Arita flower vase following a bronze form decorated in somenishikide style. The long flared neck decorated with a plume of stylised leaves with a pair of ring handles enamelled in green and iron red with gilding. The wasted bulbous body of the vase decorated with the figure of a Chinese scholar fishing and the reverse with stylised waves and flowering plants. The vase measures 22.5cm high and is approximately cm in diameter at its widest point 9.5cm. It weighs 620grams...

A dish of moulded octagonal form with vertical raised edges decorated with a Peony leaf scrolling arabesque ground inset with shaped reserves containing auspicious Dragons and Chinese lions. The rim decorated with a stylised wave border with alternating pairs of claw waves and, gobenka, five petal flowers placed in the corners both to the interior and the exterior of the rim...

A Japanese scalloped rimmed bowl with a janome, bulls eye base, decorated wth three lotus form reserves each containing an auspicious somewhat rotund karashishi with a ribboned cash symbol inset against a rather unusual budo karakusa, grape vine arabesque...

An Arita moulded dish of shuronogata, Hemp Palm, form decorated in underglaze blue with gilt outlined enamels, somenishikide, dating to the late Mid Edo period. The dish decorated with a kachoga design evoking an image of late Winter or early Spring incorporating the Shochikubai, the Three Friends of Winter. The under-glaze blue portion of the design a Bamboo “Tree” with shattered trunk and a pair of enlarged yukiwa, snow flake roundels, to suggest seki, viewing stones. Further details a...

Ko Imari Shochikubai-mon and Tako Karakusa Dish mid 18C A moulded dish of lotus petal form with an upturned rim decorated in underglaze blue with a central Shochikubai mon, representing the auspicious Three Friends of Winter, framed by border of scrolling waves, uzunami, and a stylised lotus arabesque of so-called octopus scroll form. The reverse decorated with a meandering band of stylised Lotus vine, karakusa, and an auspicious four character fukichosun mark. The dish is in good condition, ...

A nagazara decorated with an unusual rectangular form Three Friends of Winter mon framed by border patterns incorporating a stylised landscape, and auspicious motifs, clouds, cash symbols and brocade patterns. The reverse decorated with taka-karakusa and kahana motifs. The foot-rim is decorated with a thunder fret border and the base painted with a four character fuuki chosun mark. This particular variant of shochikubai-mon dates from the 1760’s; a blue and white example of this style of mon...

A long dish of conventional form decorated in senbeki, pencilled, style with a pair of four toed Chinese Dragons in pursuit of flaming pearls all set against a lightening field. The central reserve decorated with stylised tadpole like thunder bolts. The reverse decorated with further lightening motifs and pearls and a small square seal mark containing the character Ho, precious treasure. Shards with this mark have been recovered from the kiln site of the Hokaoyama kiln dating to the late mid...