Pair of vases; Arita, Japan; Edo Period (1600 - 1868), end of the 17th century

Pair of vases; Arita, Japan; Edo Period (1600 - 1868), late 17th century
Glazed and enameled porcelain.
Measurements: 40 x 35 x 35 cm.

Important pair of Japanese "meiping" vases in porcelain decorated with "kakiemon" glazes with glass cover, representing a popular legend: it is said that, in the eighth century, during the reign of the Tang Dynasty, the poet Li Bai, who was drunk in the presence of Emperor Xuanzong, asked the eunuch Gao Lishi to help him to take off his shoes, because his boots were full of mud and he was unable to do it alone. The eunuch, finding the request humiliating, convinced the emperor's consort, Yang Guifei, that the poems Li Bai had written about her were disrespectful, thus getting him expelled from the court.

A similar piece appears illustrated in Soame Jenyns, "Japanese Porcelain", London, 1958, pl.117a, formerly in the collection of Richard de la Mare; another example can be found in Nagatake Takeshi, "Kakiemon Toji taikei", (okio, 1977, vol. 20, p. 121, no. 59. Also, in 2018, Sotheby`s London offered a vase with these same characteristics at its November sixth auction, lot 72.

The term "kakiemon" is often used loosely to refer to pieces made in the Arita factories that exhibit the enamels associated with this style, which began to be produced in the last third of the seventeenth century. The decoration is characterized by its high quality and the delicacy of its asymmetrical but balanced motifs. The designs were applied sparingly to give prominence to the background, known in Japan as "nigoshide" (milky white). The "kakiemon" style achieved great renown in Europe. However, for the export market this style was replaced by the "imari" style.