Characterized by beautiful and distinctive enamel decoration, Kakiemon porcelain represents a high point in the history of ceramics. Dating from seventeenth-century Japan, Kakiemon quickly became popular among consumers all over the world and exerted incredible influence over European porcelain manufacturers. Kakiemon Porcelain offers a stunningly illustrated guide to Japanese and European collections and provides all the practical tools necessary for attribution and dating Kakiemon porcelain. Menno Fitski, curator of East Asian art at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, provides an in-depth analysis of the style, both artistically and historically, while tracing Kakiemon from its Japanese roots to its European reception.
With over one hundred color illustrations, this exhaustive study will appeal to Kakiemon collectors and enthusiasts, as well as historians of early modern Europe and Japan.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Preface
1. The trade in porcelain
The VOC and the system of trade with Asia
1650s: Prelude to export to the Netherlands
1655–1660: The beginning of export trade
1660–1680: Peak of official trade
1680–1690: A new trade system and the last attempts at ordering
After 1690: Private trade reigns
2. Kakiemon in Europe
1600–1630: Kraak porcelain in the interior
1630–1680: Amalia and her daughters—the rise of porcelain rooms
1680–1700: Mary II—Kakiemon in the Netherlands and England
18th century: Kakiemon becomes a collectors’ item
3. Kakiemon in Japan
Porcelain routes in Japan
The Japanese domestic market
Tableware
Figures
4. A chronological overview
1610–1640: Prelude—shoki-lmari
1640–1670: Transitional period—the forerunners of the Kakiemon style
1670–1690s: Golden Age—Kakiemon and Kakiemon style
1690s–1750: Difficult times
5. Kakiemon porcelain manufacture
An overview of the manufacturing process
The system of production in Arita
6. Designs and motifs
Sources of inspiration
Motifs
Marks and motifs on the reverse
Sources and literature
Chronology
Index
Illustration details and credits
Preface
1. The trade in porcelain
The VOC and the system of trade with Asia
1650s: Prelude to export to the Netherlands
1655–1660: The beginning of export trade
1660–1680: Peak of official trade
1680–1690: A new trade system and the last attempts at ordering
After 1690: Private trade reigns
2. Kakiemon in Europe
1600–1630: Kraak porcelain in the interior
1630–1680: Amalia and her daughters—the rise of porcelain rooms
1680–1700: Mary II—Kakiemon in the Netherlands and England
18th century: Kakiemon becomes a collectors’ item
3. Kakiemon in Japan
Porcelain routes in Japan
The Japanese domestic market
Tableware
Figures
4. A chronological overview
1610–1640: Prelude—shoki-lmari
1640–1670: Transitional period—the forerunners of the Kakiemon style
1670–1690s: Golden Age—Kakiemon and Kakiemon style
1690s–1750: Difficult times
5. Kakiemon porcelain manufacture
An overview of the manufacturing process
The system of production in Arita
6. Designs and motifs
Sources of inspiration
Motifs
Marks and motifs on the reverse
Sources and literature
Chronology
Index
Illustration details and credits