DISH, Blue-and-white with fruit design

Porcelain production in Japan was first accomplished in Arita, Hizen Province (present-day Saga and Nagasaki Prefectures) around the 1610s. Early blue-and-white ware made in the first half of the seventeenth century is known as Shoki Imari (early Imari) ware. It was named after the port Imari from which the wares were shipped. The motif is rather rare, with a plant heavily laden with fruit is depicted spontaneously in reserve against an underglaze blue background. The form is reminiscent of the flat dishes of the Joseon dynasty Korea. The flattened rim bears a band of comb-tooth patterns. The base has a small, low foot ring.