Japanese Porcelain Ewer

A small squat porcelain ewer of yellowish earthenware, hand painted with a chrysanthemum motif with green leaves, and gilded in gold leaf. The ewer has a tall slender neck, a c-scroll handle shaped like bamboo, and a small foot. The long neck ends in a sprouted mouth with edges that curl in and are decorated in red and gold. This piece appears to be in the Satsuma style. Satsuma pottery is known for its cream-colored body that is glazed in a clear but slightly yellowish color and finely crackled into a delicate network. Such a technique was developed during the 18th century. Until the end of the 18th century most Satsuma pottery was simple and plainly decorated. They were used primarily for the traditional tea ceremony. "Today, however, the name Satsuma is more readily identified with the highly elaborate examples from the late 19th and 20th centuries, where painstakingly detailed enamel decoration covers the surface." (p.6, Louis Lawrence, Satsuma: Masterpieces from the World's Important Collections. London: Dauphin Publishing Limited, 1991