Small Antique Edo Period Japanese Porcelain Teapot Imari Red Gold Panels

In category 36 ‘Coloured Imari with no underglaze blue, iron-red and gold only’ of his Japanese export porcelain, Impey states that the implication of this singular restriction of palette, without the use of underglaze blue, is that these may be the product of a single enamelling workshop, but may or may not be the product of a single kiln. The restriction is probably one of choice, for it would hardly be cheaper, if at all, to use a wider range of enamels, and no cheaper to use underglaze blue.

Bottles, vases, teapots and other objects with similar recessed panels that form a kind of window through to a deeper picture layer were only produced for a short period. This was probably because they were too time-consuming to make and therefore expensive. This type of decoration is only found on Japanese pieces; Chinese imitations are still unknown.

Japanese Imari objects decorated in a low relief are rare. In ‘Fine & Curious’ a bottle cat. 96, two teapots cat. 243 and a shaving bowl 231, all decorated in a low relief, are published. Jörg states that these objects could have been made in a specialised workshop producing for export.

The inset relief-modelled scenes, often of chickens, can also be found on longnecked bottles.

Additional information:
Material: Porcelain & Pottery
Japanese Style: Imari
Region of Origin: Japan
Period: 17th century, 18th century Edo Period
Original/Reproduction: Original
Condition: Firing flaws to the handle, the mouthrim an underside of the rim of the cover, two very tiny fleabites to the tip of the spout and a firing tension hairline to the underside of the handle.
Dimension: Height with cover 76 mm (2.99 inch), height without cover 68 mm (2.68 inch), diameter handle to spout 100 mm (3.94 inch), diameter of mouthrim 20 mm (0.79 inch), diameter of foot 28 mm (1.10 inch), weight including cover 99 grams (3.49 ounce (oz.)), weight cover 6 grams (0.21 ounce (oz.))