Pair of bronze mounted porcelain bowls, Japan circa 1700 

Rare pair of white porcelain bowls decorated on all sides with a polychrome floral design, consisting of green, blue, yellow and khaki enamels called « Kakiémon* ». 
 
Good condition, a crack on one of the two bowls. 
 
Porcelain : Arita kiln, Saga prefecture, Japan around 1700. 
 
The mercury gilt bronze mounting consists of a ring with three rectangular handles and a tripod base with a leafy base and doe feet. 
Paris, first half of the 18th century. 
 
Provenance :  
 
Sir Anthony Du Boulay Collection (1929-2022), director of the Ceramics Department at Christie's and later president of Christie's Geneva. 
He is also Honorary Adviser for Ceramics to the National Trust and has played a very important role in the Société de Porcelaine Française and the Oriental Ceramic Society. 
 
Dimensions : 
 
Height : 12 cm ; Diameter : 11.5 cm. 
 
Our view : 
 
Coming out of Arita's kilns at the end of the 17th century, our pair of bowls was exported to Europe by the all-powerful "VOC" (Dutch East India Company) which had established a trading post in the land of the rising sun since the middle of the 17th century. This type of piece was among the very first porcelains exported to Europe, even before the great trade with China. This porcelain, practically unknown on our continent, was reserved for a princely elite; it was so expensive at that time that it was collected for the material itself. This is why it was diverted from its utilitarian use and contrary to the rocailles mounts which will make the essential of the price of the pieces of this type in the following century, it is well here the porcelain which is highlighted by a discrete base, like a sculpture. 
Our porcelains present a particularly refined decoration on a very white enamel background with a blue decoration enriched with the very first kakiémon enamels which will make the international fame of Arita porcelains, so much so that many European factories will imitate this very particular decoration. 
 
*"Kakiémon" is named after the Japanese potter who introduced the art of glazing, Sakaida Kakiémon. The first Kakiémon patterned porcelains were made in the workshops of Arita in Saga Prefecture in the mid 17th century. These places are currently classified as the National Historic Site of Japan. Also, this craft technique is considered as one of the Japanese cultural heritages. These places are currently listed as the National Historic Site of Japan. Also, this craft is considered as one of the Japanese cultural heritages. This decorative style is usually done on a milky white background, called "nigoshide" in Japanese. This background accentuates the delicacy and refinement of the porcelain. The patterns are structured asymmetrically. However, they maintain a certain form of balance and harmony. Most of the images composed are typical of Japanese culture : chrysanthemum, Japanese apricot tree, bamboo, quail...