Dish of Nabeshima Style with Landscape Decoration

At the Nabeshima domain's official kiln in Hizen Province (Saga Prefecture), great effort was made to produce a very refined porcelain for use by the domain warrior class and for presentation to the central government and daimyo of other domains. Although enamel-decorated Nabeshima ware is often considered the epitome of exquisite porcelain, many fine Nabeshima examples in celadon and blue-and-white also exist. This large dish features a finely painted landscape over a ground of repeating pattern waves, a rare work of the largest standard size produced, one shaku (30.3 cm) in diameter. It has a curved interior and relatively high foot encircled by a repeating comb design. These, as well as the interlocking circle (J.,shippo) design in three places on the back rim are all standard characteristics of Nabeshima ware. Each brushstroke is exactingly executed, with great attention given to consistency of the color intensity -- reflecting the strict control exerted over production. This example is considered to be an example made at the height of Nabeshima production during the Genroku period (1688-1703).