Dish with design of men playing koto. enamelled ware

Dish with design of men playing koto. enamelled ware
Dish with design of men playing koto. enamelled ware
Dish with design of men playing koto. enamelled ware

Height 7.6 cm, mouth diameter 28.4 cm, base diameter 16.9 cm
 This dish is nearly the same size as a shaku dish, but has legs on three sides of the bottom. This is the most outstanding of the tripodal large dishes of Nabeshima in overglaze enamels, and the shape, design, and color tones of the overglaze enamels are perfect. The shape, design, and color tones of the overglaze enamels are all in perfect condition, suggesting that this is a fine piece made before the Genroku period.
 The low base is carved in a thick serpentine pattern with leaf-shaped legs on three sides, but unfortunately one of the legs is missing. Unfortunately, one of the legs is missing. 41 small needle marks remain on the serpentine base of the exposed body.
 The inside is decorated with a frame of underglaze blue with a design of six nyoigashira and six cloud-shaped motifs connected alternately, an arabesque peony design in the nyoigashira, and a cloisonne design in the cloud-shaped motifs, while in the center, on a seat set on a rock decorated with clouds and pine trees, one person plays the zither and another person plays a figure in response, all in underglaze blue with line drawings and shaded strokes in dami-e brush. The work is a masterpiece of the Nabeshima technique of underglaze blue. The trunks of the trees on the right side and the pine tree at the top are painted in a unique coloring similar to the kaba (birch) color sometimes seen in Manryaku-aka-e and other works, which is also unusual.
On the outside, a fine pattern of wild roses in arabesque style in underglaze blue is depicted in a total arabesque pattern, which is also unprecedented. The legs are made of lapis lazuli.

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