Satsuma plate, Japan, Meiji period, 1867-1911

Satsuma plate
Japan
Meiji period, 1867-1911
Ivory colored, finely crackled glazed pottery with polychrome painting and opulent pastos applied ornamental gilding
With wooden stand
Diameter 22.5 cm

Three literary figures and a young servant have gathered in a garden under a tree for a reading, with rocks, two garden stools and a mountain backdrop in the background. The skilfully painted scene is framed by a rich shonsuide decoration, which continues over the edge of the plate a little further onto the underside.
The tradition of ceramics production in Satsuma, in the extreme south of Japan, dates back to as early as the 16th century, but the increasingly lavishly decorated style of these wares did not experience its breakthrough until Japan opened up to the West in the 19th century. Lavishly applied oriental decorations were more likely to appeal to European tastes of the time than to be successful in the domestic market, resulting in far more quality pieces being found in European collections today than in Japan.