Japanese Arita Porcelain plate in Aoki Mokubei Style Meiji Era Antique circa 1860

A nicely hand painted, highly decorative and collectable antique Japanese Kutani export porcelain plate decorated in the early 19th century Ko Kutani style of Aoki Mokubei, (青木木米) who was famous for his interpretations of Chinese porcelain. (ref 1)

The plate is similar in design to the iroe or red painting products often marked 蔵春亭三保造 (Zāng chūn tíng sānbǎo zào) which translates as Kurashuntei Miho Manufacturing Co., Ltd. According to the website of the Kyushu Ceramic Museum, in 1841 (Tenpo 12), Yojibei Hisatomi, a wealthy merchant in Arita, used the brand or trade name ``Kurashuntei'' proposed by Naomasa Nabeshima, the lord of the Nabeshima Domain in Saga. They created pottery in the Western Taste. They set up a branch in Nagasaki to start exporting overseas. However, in 1856 (Ansei 3), due to financial difficulties, he sold the rights to it to Monzaemon Tashiro, a merchant in Arita, so the inscription 'Zoshuntei' was used only from 1841 to 1856. (ref 2.) 

This plate dates from the mid 19th circa 1860 around the late Edo to the early Meiji era. The plate has a deep large central well with a short steep cavetto and a wide sloping lip. It has an all over hand painted enamel pattern on the upper face and four iron red bats painted on the underside of the lip.

The well has a central round cartouche painted with two large peony flowers and a bud, an iron red diamond hatched border with three equally spaced vase shaped flower columns. In between these columns the body is enamelled in a intense dense iron red ground with three lotus leaf shaped reserved cartouches and flowers with trailing narrow leaves and stems.

The three cartouches on the cavetto and lip  are bordered in black each has been painted in enamel colours with a different scene. The first a garden scene with flowering prunus. The second a bird perched on a peony branch and the third a house on a rocky island with tree growing above it, in the distance are mountains and a lake with sailing boats.

It is in very good antique condition. Some wear to the gilding. There is a crack to the lip to the left of centre of the bird cartouche, there are no chips nor restoration. Please see the images.

This is a highly collectable and very decorative item and great for display on its own as a statement piece or as part of a collection antique Japanese, Asian porcelain or Kutani-yaki or Mokubei style.

Free UK postage when purchased at the listed price, International shipping at cost.

Rim Diameter 10 inches ( 25.4 cm)
Height 1 5/8 inches ( 4.2 cm) 
Weight 546 grammes unpacked 

References

1. https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O18961/tiered-food-box-mokubei-aoki/

2. Saga Prefectural Kyushu Ceramic Museum