Circa 1910 - 1920
This beautifully decorated jar and cover, although of a traditional shape, is most unusual in the design and in the colours of the glazes. The curves of the form are accentuated with the boldly painted overlapping palm leaves in rich enamels of yellow, white and turquoise outlined in gilt. They lie on a rich cobalt background scattered with gilded red blossoms.
The limestone glazes used to such brilliant effect in this jar were developed by Shiroshima Iwataro over 130 years ago in 1892 and were used by him thereafter to imbue his pots with this startling vibrancy.
The piece as a whole is a tour de force: it is monumental in size and the use of the gold outlines on the leaves and the red for the flowers would have meant that the vase had to be fired at least four times to achieve this effect.
Award:
The artist was awarded silver medal at the Arita Ceramic Fair in 1896
Bibliography:
Toki Daijiten (Dictionary of Ceramics).