Large Porcelain Plate

Kutani ware was a leading Japanese export ware in the nineteenth century. This large plate is an outstanding example made at the peak of Kutani ware production. The interior surface of the plate is beautifully decorated with eight landscape scenes, very likely depicting "The Eight Views of the Biwa Lake." A wide circular border of floral and textile designs, primarily in gold and red, frames the landscape scenes. On the plate’s exterior wall, the decoration consists of three sprays of fruit branches. The inscription on the base, written in red under two joined flags decorated with a gold sun and moon, reads, “Painted by Nishimura of the Kaga State of Great Japan.” Although it is not possible to identify the artist without his full name, the colossal size, the elaborate and unique landscape decoration, and the use of gold all indicate that it was made by a well-established master.