Arita, Hizen Province [Saga and Nagasaki Prefecture], Japan
1700-1730s

Wares with blue, red and gold decoration became known in Europe as ‘Imari’ wares, after the port from which the ceramics were shipped.

Conserved with funding from Bristol Museums Development Trust, 2022.
Porcelain, underglaze blue, overglaze enamel and gold
Given by Miss Irene Finch, 2012
Finch 494

Nangawara kiln, Arita, Hizen Province [Saga and Nagasaki Prefecture], Japan
1700-1730

Japan made wares for Europe and Southeast Asia in shapes previously unknown to Japan, including chocolate cups, beer mugs and wine decanters.

Porcelain, underglaze blue, overglaze enamel and gold
Given by Miss Irene Finch, 2012
Finch 438, Finch 1125

Arita, Hizen Province [Saga and Nagasaki Prefecture], Japan
1660-1680s

Porcelain beer mugs of this shape were popular in Europe. Often metal lids were made for them in Europe

Embellishing Japanese and Chinese porcelains with metal mounts was popular and made East Asian ceramics even more appealing to European collectors and buyers.

Conserved with funding from Bristol Museums Development Trust, 2022. [51]
Porcelain, underglaze blue
Given by Miss Irene Finch, 2012
Finch 509

Arita, Hizen Province [Saga and Nagasaki Prefecture], Japan
1655-1660s

The decoration of this wine jug was inspired by the porcelain made in the Chinese city of Jingdezhen in the 1600s during the ‘transition’ between the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

This style was popular on Dutch and British ‘delftware’, tin-glazed earthenware.

Conserved with funding from Bristol Museums Development Trust, 2022.
Porcelain, underglaze blue
Given by Miss Irene Finch, 2012
Finch 505

Mottahedeh, Portugal, Spain
1950-1998

This dish is a modern European copy of a design made in Japan around 1700-1750.

The depicted scene is thought to be from a Dutch engraving.

The design became so strongly associated with Japan that people mistakenly thought it showed Dejima island in southern Japan, whereas it probably depicts Sheveningen in Holland.

Porcelain, underglaze blue
Given by Miss Irene Finch, 2012
Finch 110

Arita, Hizen Province [Saga and Nagasaki Prefecture], Japan
1700-1730s

From the late 1600s to around 1800, it became fashionable in Europe to display porcelain on mantlepieces, shelves and cabinets.

Japanese porcelain decorated with gold on white designs was particularly fashionable in Holland. The shiny glazed porcelain and gilding would have shimmered in the dim candlelight.

Porcelain, overglaze enamel and gold
Given by Miss Irene Finch, 2012
Finch 296

Arita, Hizen Province [Saga and Nagasaki Prefecture], Japan
1800-1900

Some European families ordered dinner sets to be made in China and Japan decorated with their family coats of arms.

This dish, however, features an invented coat of arms for the Japanese market. Designs like this became popular in Japan as exotic European-style tableware.

Porcelain, underglaze blue
Given by Miss Irene Finch, 2012
Finch 107

Jindgezhen kilns, Jiangxi Province, China
1700-1800

When Chinese kilns reopened in 1683, after the civil wars, they made wares painted with enamel colours in imitation of the Japanese ‘Imari’ style that had become so popular in Europe.

After this, Japan struggled to compete with high-quality and more affordable ‘Chinese Imari’ porcelains. [47]

Porcelain, underglaze blue, overglaze enamel and gold
Given by Miss Irene Finch, 2012
Finch 175

Arita, Hizen Province [Saga and Nagasaki Prefecture], Japan
1700-1730s

European potters developed recipes for making porcelain around 1750. They turned to existing Japanese wares for inspiration. This Japanese dish design was copied by Worcester Porcelain factory in the 1760s and became very popular.

Conserved with funding from Bristol Museums Development Trust, 2022.
Porcelain, underglaze blue, overglaze enamel and gold
Given by Miss Irene Finch, 2012
Finch 294

Derby Porcelain Factory, Derby, England
1805-1820

This dish was made in England by Derby porcelain factory.

Scholars think that the design was copied from a Japanese dish, but the prototype has yet to be discovered. The Japanese-inspired design is listed as No. 3 in the pattern book of the Derby Factory.

Soft-paste porcelain, overglaze enamel and gold
Given by Miss Irene Finch, 2012
Finch 63

Arita, Hizen Province [Saga and Nagasaki Prefecture], Japan
1690-1730s

Between 1700 and 1900, coloured enamel decoration was sometimes added to Japanese porcelains when they reached Europe. The practice was especially popular in the Netherlands and England.

On this bowl, the underglaze decoration was done in Japan but the red, green, and gold enamels were European additions.

Porcelain, underglaze blue, overglaze enamel and gold
Given by Miss Irene Finch, 2012
Finch 171