Vase

Location: Japan

Materials: porcelain worked in undeglaze blue

Dimensions: height 68.3 cm

Accession Number: P 18

Other Notes:

A large porcelain vase, the baluster body decorated with numerous bamboo stems of various sizes, the neck with a profusion of overlapping leaves, all worked in various tones of underglaze blue.

As with P 43, there is no use of the brush visible here; it is a triumph of technique to ‘paint’ bamboo only with stencils. These must have been flexible to fit to the shape; usually they are made of copper.

Bibliography:

O. Impey, M. Fairley (eds.), Meiji No Takara: Treasures Of Imperial Japan: Ceramics Vol I, London 1995, cat. 42.