Japanese Imari Jars with Covers

Period

Japans; ca. 1700

Material

porcelain

Sizes

(height) 73.00cm. (diameter) 35.00cm.

Description

The body of the jars consists two fields that are divided by blue ribbons decorated with flowers that turn into landscapes on the bottom. The fields are decorated with flowery sprigs, flowers and birds.
On the shoulder cartouches with sprigs and scale-patterns in gold. The cartouches seem to hang from a bow with a double loop and tassels.
The base and the neck of the jars are decorated with ribbons of blue vines filled in with red and gold flowers.
The lids show flowers and cartouches with bows. The knobs are shaped like liondogs.
Originally these lions- or liondogs in the east were guards of palaces and temples. On these lids the liondogs guard the pearl with ribbons, one of the seven treasures of Buddhism, by putting their paws on it.
Imari porcelain that was manufactured for the western market normally has an eleborate decoration of red and gold over a blue underglaze. Especially in the 1660-1750 period, when the VOC trade in Chinese porcelain ground to a halt, large quantities of Japanese porcelain was exported to the west. A great deal of this porcelain was manufactured near Arita on the island Kysushu and was shipped through the harbour of Imari.