Japanese Arita Porcelain Bowl Painted Phoenix Antique Edo Era 18th C - Chinese Phoenix or Hoho bird perched on a Pawlonia tree branch 24 cm diameter

An extremely attractive decorative large antique Japanese porcelain bowl, decorated with a fierce looking Chinese Phoenix, Feng Huang or Hō-ō bird ( 鳳凰 ) perched on a Pawlonia tree branch apparently inspecting an under-glaze blue and peach cloud swirl that looks as though it may possibly be a kamon device or crest. This bowl we believe dates from the late 18th century to early 19th century during the Edo period circa 1800.

According to legend (mostly from China), the Ho-oo appears very rarely, and only to mark the beginning of a new era -- the birth of a virtuous ruler, for example. In other traditions, the Ho-oo appears only in peaceful and prosperous times (nesting, it is said, in paulownia trees), and hides itself when there is trouble. As the herald of a new age, the Ho-Oo decends from heaven to earth to do good deeds, and then it returns to its celestial abode to await a new era. It is both a symbol of peace (when it appears) and a symbol of disharmony (when it disappears).

The inside of this bowl is undecorated, as it probably had a lid and would have been used as a tureen, sadly there is no lid now. The base has a single blue band decoration and a central spur kiln support, as the diameter of the bowl was near the maximum size they could fire successfully at this period.

The main colours are peach, iron red, manganese purple, blue and green with black and gilded highlights. It is a highly decorative item that could be displayed as it is or better still used as a punch bowl!

The bowl stands 4 5/8 inches (11.5 cm) high and the rim diameter is also  9 1/2 inches ( 24 cm). The base diameter is 5 3/4 inches (14.7 cm) . It is in very good condition with just a little glaze scratching and wear to the gilding commensurate with use, it does not have a lid.

It weighs 1.6 g unpacked so when properly packed it will be too heavy to be shipped internationally by Royal Mail. Free UK delivery when purchased at the listed price, international shipping at cost.

This is a highly collectable and decorative item and great for display on its own or as part of a collection of antique Japanese porcelain or Arita ware.