Preliminary identification
Photo reference
5 uploaded photos
Overview
An underglaze blue porcelain dish featuring an asymmetrical composition of two rabbits beside tall grasses, rendered in the lyrical Ai-Kakiemon tradition. The reverse displays scrolling karakusa motifs and three distinct spur marks inside a neatly trimmed footring.
Story
Seventeenth-century Arita potters broke away from rigid Chinese patterns to embrace ma, the dramatic power of empty space. Two gentle rabbits gaze upward beneath sweeping reeds, capturing the quiet poetry of autumn in early Japanese porcelain.
Maker / Origin
The Kakiemon tradition originated in Arita, pioneering refined overglaze enamels and exquisite underglaze blue known as Ai-Kakiemon. These family-run and community kilns supplied aristocratic Japanese households and affluent European collectors via the Dutch East India Company.
Condition & Value
The dish appears structurally intact with no large chips or visible cracks. There are tiny pinhole glaze imperfections and firing flecks typical of antique kiln firings, which do not detract significantly from 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.