Recent Acquisitions
On this page you'll find my latest acquisitions.
This way you can quickly browse through my recently acquired objects without having to browse through all the various categories.
After some time, each object in 'Recent Acquisitions' will be moved to their specific category.
Latest update: Recent Acquisitions; April 12, 2026.
Japanese Tea, Coffee and Chocolate wares 18th Century
Objects 2012720 & 2012721
Two saucers
Japan
1700-1720
2012720 Height 29 mm (1.14 inch), diameter of rim 140 mm (5.51 inch), diameter of footring 73 mm (2.87 inch), weight 131 grams (4.62 ounce (oz.))
2012721 Height 31 mm (1.22 inch), diameter of rim 139 mm (5.47 inch), diameter of footring 70 mm (2.76 inch), weight 142 grams (5.01 ounce (oz.))
Two saucers on footrings with everted rims. Imari decorated in underglaze blue, overglaze iron-red, green, yellow, light aubergine, black enamel and gold. In the centre a standing female figure, facing left, wearing a red kimono dress. She is standing in front of a closed zig-zag shaped garden fence, which reaches to her middle. To her right an open building with wooden roof, with a seated figure. In the foreground of this building a large cherry tree, with a curved trunk, branches and finely painted grains. The tree has red cherry blossoms. To the left of the central figure two birds flying above a fence from left to right. In the foreground some flowers growing from pierced rockwork. The rim is decorated with a dark blue border with golden scrollwork. The reverse is decorated with three stylized flowering plants. On the base a single concentric band.
These saucers belong to the so-called five colour Imari group (gosai). This colour scheme consists of red, green, purple (aubergine) and/or yellow enamels with gold and underglaze blue. Soame Jenyns proposes that the lavish use of golden detailing on the underglaze blue was perhaps meant to hide the imperfections caused by blurring in the firing, a common characteristic of Japanese porcelain. Arts states (he quotes Soame Jenyns on this) that landscapes and human figures are less commonly found on five colour Imari.
Suchomel illustrates an Imari bowl with lid decorated with a very similar blossoming cherry tree motif (sakura). The cherry blossom is regarded as the most important flower of Japan, together with the chrysanthemum. One of the names of Japan is in fact "land of the cherry blossom". The cherry blossom is emblematic of purity of life and the samurai spirit.
Jörg states that It is often not easy to distinguish between export and non-export wares, Imari was certainly not exclusively made for export. This particular type of Imari porcelain was highly esteemed in Japan. In this case, the existence of an identical decorated saucer in a Japanese collection could signify that these saucers were originally meant for the Japanese home market.
For this identically decorated saucer, please see:
Although the cups have roughly the same height and diameter, the diameter and the height of the saucers vary considerably (please see sizes above). Differences in measurements between the same plates or sets are not uncommon in Japanese porcelain. However, another interesting possibility is that the sets with small size saucers might have been used for serving tea while the larger versions were used for serving coffee.
Interestingly the design was also used for overdecorating in the Netherlands, 'Amsterdams Bont' in the early 18th century, Espir shows a plain white Chinese chocolate cup and saucer overdecorated 1708-1720 with the original Japanese design in a Kakiemon style, for this chocolate cup and saucer now in the collection of Augustus the Strong in Dresden and registered under the number P.O. (Porzellan Ostasien) 3159 please see:
- European Decoration on Oriental Porcelain 1700-1830, (H. Espir, Jorge Welsh Books, London, UK, 2005), p.61, cat 14.
- SKD Online collection, PO. 3159.
A very similar decorated small plate, again with a blossoming cherry tree, fenced garden and identical blue rim with golden scrollwork, however without the exceptional Japanese figures, is described in Impey’s 'Japanese Export Porcelain', cat. 330. Interestingly, he mentions that the Ashmolean Museum also has a Worcester cup and saucer of that same pattern in the Marshall collection.
Impey records a very similar decorated small plate, again with a blossoming cherry tree, fenced garden and identical blue rim with golden scrollwork, however without the exceptional Japanese figures. Interestingly, he mentions that the Ashmolean Museum also has a Worcester cup and saucer of that same pattern in the Marshall collection
Conditions:
2012687 Perfect.
2012688 Perfect.
References:
SKD Online collection, PO. 3159
Prices:
2012720: Sold.
2012721: Sold.
Japanese Kakiemon / Japanese Kakiemon-style wares - Japanese Kakiemon
Object 2012714
Dish
Japan
1680-1700
Height 102 mm (4.02 inch), diameter of rim 210 mm (8.27 inch), diameter of footring 105 mm (4.13 inch), weight 681 grams (24.02 ounce (oz.))
Octagonal bowl on footring, spreading sides, everted rim, upright edge. Decorated in underglaze blue. In the centre an octagonal panel with a river scene and a house. The right-hand side with rocks with wide-spreading pomegranates, the left with two egrets, one walking the other in flight. Round the rim a petal border. The outside with four wide panels one panel is decorated with flowering prunus and bamboo plants growing from rockwork, the second panel is decorated with flowering aster plants growing from rockwork and the last two panels are decorated with flowering peony plants growing from rockwork. On the base a square kin ('gold') mark. (Jörg 2003/1, p.147 & cat. 163)
The asymmetry of the interior decoration is characteristic of the spontaneity of the Kakiemon style. The design itself is quite unusual and no comparable pieces seem to be recorded. The kin mark is associated with Kakiemon production. (Jörg 2003/1, p.147 & cat. 163)
Within the Nangawara underglaze-blue, one particular style of decoration is distinguishable. Where the decoration of the pomegranates is still very precise, the drawing is rather loose, although not sloppy. The light wash covers the blooms and leaves. Even though the painting and the colour of blue are different, the body is still the fine type from Nangawara. The differences between the Nangawara pieces may be ascribable to the slightly different styles of the different workshops in Nangawara: further study is required. (Fitski 2011, p.85)
The kin mark is documented as having been used by the Kakiemon kiln in the period 1670-80, although it was also used on wares of the first half of the 18th century. Kin marks do occur on several pieces in Dutch collections. Given the high quality of this piece and the specific mark, it can be assumed that it was produced in the Kakiemon kiln in the late 17th century. (Jörg 2003/1, p.146)
The egret [shirasagi] also occurs on Chinese porcelain and may have been taken from there. it is often depicted with a lotus, a play on words representing a wish to pass civil examinations swiftly. Perhaps just as importantly, egrets are still to be seen walking along the river bed in Arita. The decorators of Kakiemon must have come across them frequently. (Fitski 2011, p.157)
For smaller but identically shaped and decorated bowls, please see:
- Fine & Curious: Japanese Export Porcelain in Dutch Collections, (C.J.A. Jörg, Hotei Publishing, Amsterdam 2003), p.147, cat. 163.
- Kakiemon Porcelain. A Handbook, (M. Fitski, Leiden / Amsterdam, 2011), p.85, cat. 94.
- Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Objectnummer AK-RBK-1983-26.
Condition: Two very tiny fleabites to the rim.
References:
Jörg 2003/1, pp.146-147, cat. 163
Fitski 2011, p. 85, p.157, cat 94
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Objectnummer AK-RBK-1983-26
Price: € 3.500 Currency Converter
Japanese Tea, Coffee and Chocolate wares 18th Century
Object 2011287
Tea bowl and saucer
Japan
1700-1730
Height of tea bowl 40 mm (1.57 inch), diameter of rim 62 mm (2.44 inch), diameter of footring 25 mm (0.98 inch), weight 40 grams (1.41 ounce (oz.))
Height of saucer 22 mm (0.87 inch), diameter of rim 113 mm (4.45 inch), diameter of footring 48 mm (1.89 inch), weight 83 grams (2.93 ounce (oz.))
Tea bowl and saucer on footrings with spreading sides with slightly flaring rims. Imari decorated in underglaze blue and gold with a flowerpot filled with flowering cherry stems in a central roundel. On the sides three reserves filled with a bird in flight amongst flowering plants an leafy branches, alternating with a leafy flowering chrysanthemum stem in gold on an underglaze blue ground. The tea bowl is decorated en suite.
Condition: The footring of the tea bowl with glazed firing flaws.
Price: € 149 Currency Converter
Japanese Blue and White wares 17th Century
Object 2012718
Bowl
Japan
1660-1680
Height 119 mm (4.17 inch), diameter of rim 243 mm (8.46 inch), diameter of footring 89 mm (3.35 inch), weight 1,068 grams (37.67 ounce (oz.))
Bowl on footring, straight sides. Decorated in underglaze blue with three wide spread intertwined flower sprays with each with double flowerhead. Round the inner rim a geometric-pattern border. On the bottom a leafy flower spray in a single concentric band. On the base a single-lined circle in underglaze blue.
Hizen porcelains (Old-Imari) were Japan's first porcelains produced early in the 17th century. Then, the production developed rapidly around the area of Arita-kilns. About forty years later in the 1650's they began to export Hizen wares, making up for the shortage of exports from China. With remarkable progress in technological innovations, they could meet the large amount of orders placed by the Dutch East India Company for South East Asia and European countries.
The export of Hizen porcelains were prosperous in the late 17th century to the early 18th century. They however, remarkably declined with the collapse of the Dutch East India Company. Only with the recorded numbers, the total amount of exported Hizen porcelains in this period is more than 3,700,000. Hizen porcelains were Japan's largest industrial arts for export in the Edo period (1603-1867).
Yet it remains unknown what kind of products were exported, and what parts of the world they were taken to. The history of Hizen porcelains in Europe can be traced back in detail. Many of the Hizen porcelains handed down in Europe have been introduced in Japan. On the other hand, very little is known about Hizen porcelains in Indonesia, Where the Dutch East India Company had its central office for Asia trading, and in Thailand to which large amounts of products were exported. (Kyushu 1990/1, p.2)
This early bowl was found in the Netherlands and it is very tempting to think it might have had an Indonesian provenance and was collected by a (former) owner when he or she lived in the Dutch East Indies.
For comparable, earlier sold, bowls dating from about the same period, please see:
Condition: Crackled glaze and a wide spread firing hairline on the bottom.
Reference:
Kyushu 1990/1, p.2
Price: € 499 Currency Converter
Japanese Imari 1690-1800 - Tableware and other Porcelain with Western Shapes
Object 2010C336
Shaving bowl
Japan
1690-1710
Height 84 mm (3.31 inch), diameter of rim 282 mm (11.10 inch), diameter of footring 114 mm (4.49 inch), weight 1,158 grams (40.85 ounce (oz.))
Shaving bowl on footring with a spreading flat rim, in it a saved semi-circular section below and two small glazed holes opposite the cut-out section of the rim. On the base a single spur-mark. Imari, decorated in underglaze blue, overglaze iron-red, various overglaze enamel colours and gold in the centre flowering peony, pear and banana plants. On the sides a continuous floral scroll and on the flat rim reserves filled with flowering chrysanthemum alternating with two standing figures (a Japanese male and female) on a diaper-pattern ground. The edge in gold. On the reverse a continuous intertwined pine and cherry trees. Round the foot a continuous floral scroll. Three circles in underglaze blue on the base.
This most interesting shaving bowl is a good example of the mature Imari style with a characteristic dense design. The design on the reverse is unusual. The crackled glaze can be compared to that of dishes in early Kakiemon style.
The first documentary evidence for scheerbeckens or shaving bowls is a 1662 invoice from the Director of the Deshima factory in Nagasaki regarding an order for 258 of these dishes for shipment to the Netherlands. After this point shaving dishes become a regular export item.
Chinese shaving bowls usually have the holes in the footring instead of the rim. Most Japanese barber’s bowls are more or less rounded, whereas Chinese barber’s bowls usually are oval (for a Chinese example, please see the sold archives object 2011301)
Larger pieces of Japanese porcelain such as plates, bowls and dishes, had a tendency to ‘sag’ during firing. That’s why they were often supported in the kiln by small stoneware pillars. After firing, these small cones or spurs which adhered to the base were knocked off, leaving behind small unglazed rough patches or spur marks on the base. The supports were arranged in X, Y or other patterns. Whether they have any relevance to dating or an attribution to a specific kiln is still unresolved. These spur marks are typically Japanese and are rarely seen on Chinese porcelain.
Condition: Perfect.
Price: € 2.750 Currency Converter
Japanese Kakiemon / Japanese Kakiemon-style wares - Japanese Kakiemon-style
Object 2010C334
Dish
Japan
1670-1700
Height 27 mm (1.22 inch), diameter of rim 182 mm (7.56 inch), diameter of footring 111 mm (4.72 inch), weight 269 grams (9.49 ounce (oz.))
Dish on footring with a lightly everted rim. On the base four spur-marks in a Y-pattern. Decorated in underglaze blue and Kakiemon type enamels. In the centre with a flowering chrysanthemum spray with shaded leaves surrounded by a double circle in underglaze blue. On the sides three groups of rocks with grasses and flowering bamboo and prunus plants. On the reverse two wide spread flower sprays. Three concentric underglaze blue circles round the foot. On the base a single wide circle in underglaze blue.
Although some types of chrysanthemum begins flowering in the summer, the chrysanthemum is primarily an indication of autumn. Like many autumn motifs the chrysanthemum evokes feelings of melancholy in Japan, as is beautifully expressed in a poem by the 9th-century Ki no Tomonori:
tsuyu nagara / to wear in my hair
arite kazasamu / I plucked a chrysanthemum
kiku no hana / with dew still clinging to it
aisenu aki no / oh may this present
hisashikarubeku / autumn's youth last forever
Bamboo [take] is evergreen, and pliable, yet very strong. It is quick to recover after a heavy snowfall or a storm. In Japan, these qualities have led to its representation of indomitability, and the posture that a wise person should adopt, particularly in times of adversity. (Fitski 2011, p.148)
The flower of the plum tree (Jap.: ume) or the prunus is one of the flowers of the four seasons, among which it figures as the emblem of winter. It is regarded as an emblem of winter. It is regarded as an emblem of longevity because the flowers appear during winter on the leafless, lifeless-looking branches. This aspect of the plum is usually fairly accurately expressed when it is used as a decorative motif, since it is shown as an old tree trunk having straight slender branches with blossoms. The plum is, for the same reason, emblematic of female purity and in Japan it becomes symbolic for womanhood in general. This also explains the favourite combination of the Kakiemons of two pheasants and the plum (the so-called Joshua Reynolds pattern), the two pheasants being emblematic of maternal love.
The plum may further be used in the sense of 'often' and 'again', because of the same sound mei of the corresponding Chinese character. The plum blossom itself can easily be confused with the cherry blossom, but the plum is represented on Japanese porcelain with the characteristic branches, described above, it is usually quite clear whether a plum or a cherry is intended. The mon of the Maeda family is a plum. (Arts 1983, pp.151-152)
According to Fitski Kakiemon production can be divided into two groups: pieces made in Nangawara which we call 'Kakiemon' and pieces made in Uchiyama, for which we use the appellation 'Kakiemon style'. This dish is representative of a group of pieces, mainly dishes, without the milky-white nigoshide body which is the main characteristic of Kakiemon. In this case, the porcelain is greyish with some impurities or kiln grit on the front and back. Such pieces were not made by the Kakiemon kiln, but by contemporary competitors and are therefore referred to as Kakiemon style. (Jörg 2003/1, p.75 & cat. 62), (Fitski 2011, pp.70-71, p. 90 & p.97)
For an identically, shaped, sized and in Kakiemon style, decorated dish, please see:
Condition: A chip to the reverse rim.
References:
Fitski 2011, pp.70-71, p.90, p.97, pp.148-149
Price: € 749 Currency Converter
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