Imari Ware, Oil Ewer, 18th century

An imari ware oil ewer with underglaze blue, decorated with gilded red floral sprays. A circular medallion with the letter ‘A’ for Aijin (vinegar) marks both sides.

Imari ware is representative of some of the oldest ceramics traded between Japan and Europe. Due to a trade ban which prohibited the commercial activity of the Dutch East India Company in China, the merchant network sought profits in other lands, eventually taking them to the Japanese archipelago. The makeup of the porcelain produced in the kilns of Arita are markedly different from earthenware. Producing a soft milky colour, the compositional makeup is rich in quantity of white kaolin clay. Distinctive of the style is the orange-red colour decorated on top of underglaze blue, which is echoed here with the subtle blue tinge noticeable throughout the vessel.