A Rare Set of 5 Edo Period Japanese Arita Porcelain Imari Style Vases

Description

An Exclusive and Rare Set of Five Edo Period Japanese Arita Porcelain Imari Style Vases. This garniture set reflects the demand for decorative porcelain ensembles across Europe, particularly in the Netherlands, where such sets were commonly displayed on chimneypieces or atop cupboards. All five vases share a consistent beaker or elongated baluster form, which is less common than sets composed of varying shapes. The uniformity of this set suggests it was intended as a matched decorative display, aligning with the presentation aesthetics of the period. The vases are decorated in the Imari palette, characterized by the use of underglaze cobalt blue combined with overglaze enamels in iron red, green, and gilt, applied in vibrant, densely patterned compositions. Each vase features an elongated ovoid body that tapers into a flared foot and rises into a pronounced neck with a wide trumpet mouth. The decoration is arranged in vertical registers and reserve panels, alternating between richly painted floral grounds and cartouche-shaped pictorial scenes. The scenic reserves depict traditional Japanese landscapes rendered in red, green, and cobalt blue enamels, featuring stylized pavilions nestled among pine trees, maple, and bamboo, with mountainous backdrops and sailing vessels on water. These landscape compositions are framed within large central panels bordered by cobalt blue and filled with gilt floral vines, creating a sharp contrast between the serene narrative scenes and the surrounding elaborate ornamentation. The lower and upper portions of the vases are covered with a continuous field of chrysanthemum and peony blossoms rendered in iron red and outlined with gold, over a deep blue ground. The blossoms are interspersed with fan-shaped reserves and ribbon-like scrolls containing sprays of foliage or berry clusters painted in iron red, green, and cobalt blue. The combination of asymmetrical reserve placement and dense botanical fill aligns with typical Arita Imari design practice of the late 17th to early 18th centuries. Gilt accents are used extensively throughout the neck and shoulder of each vase, further enriching the surfaces and highlighting the complexity of the decoration. The necks are painted with additional bands of scrolling vines and floral sprays in gold over blue, bordered at the base with a band of orange flower-heads on a white ground. The five-vase garniture format corresponds with documented examples made for Western export markets during the Edo period, particularly those shipped to the Netherlands through the Dutch East India Company. Imari ware from Arita became highly sought-after in Europe during the late 1600s and early 1700s, valued for its vivid color palette, durability, and ornate surface decoration. While many garniture sets combined vases of varying shapes, typically a central covered jar flanked by beaker vases, this set is notable for its consistent shape and scale, emphasizing symmetry in display. The porcelain body is dense and well-potted, with a smooth glazed surface. The foot rims are neatly finished and unglazed, typical of Arita ware, while the interiors of the mouths are glazed. A closely related example is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (museum number C.1509-1910), where a single vase from a five-piece garniture set is preserved. That vase features a nearly identical baluster form and a related decorative scheme executed in the traditional Imari palette. Though only one piece from the original set survives in the museum's collection, it offers a valuable point of comparison for understanding the intended configuration and design unity of such ensembles. The presence of comparable examples in major museum collections reinforces the significance of this complete five-piece set, which has remained intact and in strong condition. Finding complete five-piece examples of 1700's Arita Imari palate porcelain is almost impossible in todays market, and these sets will continue to be more scarce in the future. Japan, Circa: 1700 Dimensions: Largest: Height: 20.5 in. Diameter: 7.5 in. Medium: Height: 18 in. Diameter: 6.5 in. Smallest: Height: 16 in. Diameter: 6 in.

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