Dish in the form of Mt. Fuji, with Miho no matsubara

Dish in the form of Mt. Fuji, cone of the mountain forming triple point of triangle; unglazed wedge foot, 3 spur marks on base.
Clay: white porcelain.
Glaze: clear porcelain glaze.
Decoration: painted in cobalt blue under glaze, outline and wash; travelers passing pine-banked bay near Mt. Fuji, conventionalized cloud patterns in bars and spirals below peak. Rows of pines outside.

Historical period(s)
Edo period, 1790-1868
Medium
Porcelain with cobalt pigment under colorless glaze
Style
Arita ware
Dimensions
H x W x D: 4.6 x 36.3 x 24.6 cm (1 13/16 x 14 5/16 x 9 11/16 in)
Geography
Japan, Saga prefecture, Arita
Credit Line
Anonymous gift in memory of Dr. Harold P. Stern
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1980.182a-c
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Dish

Keywords
Arita ware, cobalt pigment, Edo period (1615 - 1868), Japan, Mount Fuji, mountain, porcelain
Provenance

From at least 1956 to 1980
Private collection, McLean, Virginia, purchased in Yokohama, Japan. [1]

From 1980
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of an anonymous donor, McLean, Virginia. [2]

Notes:

[1] The donor bought this dish in Yokohama just before he left Japan in 1956. See object file, Collections Management Office.

[2] See Deed of Gift, copy in object file, Collections Management Office.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Mr. and Mrs. Province Henry

Description

Dish in the form of Mt. Fuji, cone of the mountain forming triple point of triangle; unglazed wedge foot, 3 spur marks on base.
Clay: white porcelain.
Glaze: clear porcelain glaze.
Decoration: painted in cobalt blue under glaze, outline and wash; travelers passing pine-banked bay near Mt. Fuji, conventionalized cloud patterns in bars and spirals below peak. Rows of pines outside.

Label

Travelers along the Tokaido highway between Edo and Kyoto enjoyed an impressive view of Japan's most revered mountain, Mount Fuji, as they traversed the shore of Suruga Bay. Near the station of Ejiri they saw the peak looming over the scenic pine-covered sand-spit of Miho. Miho's avenue of ancient pines formed an especially fine vista of the sacred peak that had long been a theme of poetry and paintings. This plate, made in the form of the peak, repeats a scene that was recorded in woodblock prints by nineteenth-century artists.

Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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