Page 82 - Edo: Art in Japan, 1615–1868
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8i
17 • This dish captures the spirit of the peony and butterfly, for example,
Celadon dish with butterfly, Genroku era in its brightly colored appeared in the Shósóin, the reposi-
peony, and iris design close-up view of a floral arrangement, tory for Emperor Shómu's belongings
alive with movement and spatial play. dating to 756.
c. 1690-1710
Hizen ware, Koimari style The absence of a border around the The exterior of the dish is banded
Porcelain with underglaze cobalt blue rim, which had been typical in earlier with a stylized floral scroll, based on
and polychrome overglaze enamels pieces, serves only to accentuate the Chinese prototypes. This decoration
5
Diameter 22.1 (8 /s) freedom of the design. is particularly refined, incorporating
The Kyushu Ceramic Museum, A checked surface — possibly a wall, red and green overglaze enamels
Saga, Shibata Collection a table, or a floor — is composed of along with the standard underglaze
alternating stylized flowers and geo- cobalt blue design. Inside the footring
metric patterns. In the foreground red there is a stylized good luck character
and gold peonies and iris grow out (fuku); this method of drawing the
of a Chinese ornamental rock, filling symbol began to be used on Kakiemon-
the center of the dish, while two iris style ware in the 16705 and became
plants spring up in the background. standard from the i68os until the
One butterfly and five smaller flying eighteenth century, particularly at the
insects add to the liveliness of the Nangawara Kamanotsuji kiln, where
scene. Though many of the motifs are this dish may have been made. NCR
of Chinese origin, they had been part
of the Japanese design vocabulary
since at least the middle ages. The
