Imari Plate

Date18th century

MediumPorcelain

Dimensions1 × 9 inches (2.5 × 22.9 cm)

CultureJapan

ClassificationsCeramics

Credit LineGift of Dr. and Mrs. Frederick Baekeland

Terms

Ceramics
Porcelain
Japanese

Object number75.059.002

Label CopyImari ware was exported from Japan beginning in the mid–seventeenth century, when political unrest in China interrupted trade with the West, and the famous Jingdezhen kilns, which had traditionally supplied so much porcelain to the West, were damaged. Simultaneously, the kilns at Arita on the island of Kyushu in Japan, aided by technological advancements and bolstered by the know-how of Chinese refugees, were on the rise. The Dutch, the only Western power with trade access to Japan, began to export much of the wares produced at Arita. The underglaze blue technique, paired with overglaze enamel and gold, suited the Dutch taste for color and decoration.

(Andrew C. Weislogel, “The New and Unknown World: Art, Exploration, and Trade in the Dutch Golden Age,” catalogue accompanying an exhibition organized by the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, curated by Andrew C. Weislogel and presented at the Johnson Museum August 13–October 2, 2011)

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