Preliminary identification
Photo reference
3 uploaded photos
Overview
A Chinese export porcelain tea bowl decorated in underglaze cobalt blue with a netting motif (amime) enclosing a rendered crab (kani). Produced during the late Qing era, this piece is made in the 'Shinto' (New Import) style, reviving the beloved 'Kosometsuke' (Old Blue-and-White) wares favored by Japanese tea masters.
Story
Japanese tea masters in the late Qing period commissioned Chinese potteries to recreate prized 17th-century 'Kosometsuke' wares. The crab caught in a net motif symbolizes fortune, tenacity, and catching good luck in Japanese tradition. Complete with its custom fitted wooden storage box (tomobako), it was carefully preserved for formal tea gatherings.
Maker / Origin
Kilns in Jingdezhen produced these specialized export wares specifically tailored to aesthetic preferences across the East China Sea. Unlike European export china, pieces made for the Japanese tea market emphasized rustic charm, playful brushwork, and classical scholar motifs.
Condition & Value
Appears in good vintage condition with expected wear around the unglazed foot ring and slight glaze variations consistent with folk kiln firing. The accompanying wooden box helps preserve value.
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Comparable demand stays strongest where maker, originality, and venue confidence line up. Broader examples still trade, but the range tightens quickly when provenance, condition, or selling lane fit is missing.
Best Venue
Specialty auction or a focused dealer with buyers already in this lane.
Signed example with light edge wear and original frame.
Comparable format with stronger provenance and cleaner surface.
Smaller related piece with visible craquelure and trimmed margins.
Period match with softer condition and weaker subject matter.
Close market lane comp with similar material and presentation.