Asianart.com | Associations | Articles | Exhibitions | Galleries


Visitors' Forum

Asian Art  Forums - Detail List
Asian Art Forums

Message Listing by Date:
Message Index | Back | Post a New Message | Search | Private Mail | FAQ
Subject:Please translate kanji on dish
Posted By: Paul Sun, Sep 06, 2020 IP: 2601:646:4200:c040:b

I have a pair of 10" fish shaped dishes, which I assume are Japanese Imari? They are thinner than other pieces of Imari that I have with a porcelain like feel. Can someone translate the kanji for me? Does anyone have an idea of age? The blue and white are under the glaze and the gold and orange are painted over the glaze. thank you







Subject:Re: Please translate kanji on dish
Posted By: Bill H Mon, Sep 07, 2020

The mark is faux late Ming of the Wanli period (1573-1619), which reads in Japanese 'Dai ming manreki nen sei'. The 1882 book 'Japanese Marks and Seals' by James Lord Bowes, indicates this mark was found on Edo to Meiji bowls of high quality decoration, but says nothing about fish platters. There's been a veritable glut of these dishes, in polychrome like yours, as well as the same underlying pattern in blue & white. Dumping many identical porcelains into auctions at the same time has been a Chinese tactic during the last few decades, but I can't say that these dishes are Chinese, considering all the correct clues that indicate Japanese, such as fidelity to the old mark, spurs on the base and what looks to be a decent paint job. The truth is out there somewhere, perhaps with the real Japanese savants in the forum, which I'm not.

Meanwhile, here's a tour of liveauctioneers, which may be where your pair came from. If you scored that ninety dollar hammer price out of the Virginia sale last month, then you did alright.

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/88671461_pair-of-japanese-fish-plates

https://www.catawiki.com/l/24576591-plate-1-arita-porcelain-fish-shaped-with-chinese-wanli-mark-japan-ca-1800-50

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/31303055_japanese-porcelain-fish-plate

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/79508276_pair-japanese-imari-fish-plate

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/1571610_4071-japanese-imari-style-fish-plates



Best regards,

Bill H.

Subject:Re: Please translate kanji on dish
Posted By: Paul Tue, Sep 08, 2020

Bill-- Yes that was me who bought these last month at the auction house. They looked interesting to me. Thank you so much for this information.


Asianart.com | Associations | Articles | Exhibitions | Galleries |