Bowl
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
White porcelain decorated with iron red and blue enamel (Arita ware)
Dimensions
H. 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm); Diam. 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo (1615–1868) or Meiji period (1868–1912)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Charles Stewart Smith, 1893
Accession Number
93.3.509
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant 19th-century Japanese bowl, crafted in Arita ware, exemplifies the pinnacle of porcelain artistry from Saga Prefecture. Made of fine white porcelain and vibrantly decorated with iron-red and blue enamels, it measures just 3¼ inches high and 8½ inches in diameter, perfect for serving tea or sweets in a refined household. The dynamic dragon motifs, a hallmark tag of the piece, swirl across its surface, capturing the mythical creature's power and fluidity in bold, enamelled strokes. Arita ware, produced since the early 17th century during the Edo period (1615–1868), revolutionized J...