Asianart.com | Associations | Articles | Exhibitions | Galleries

Hi there

I was wondering if anyone could help in determining the marks on the 24 inch porcelain charger. I have searched but cannot identify. They are 4 blue marks in the middle and something written in black at top left. I have been told it is old Chinese writing at the top.

Any thoughts are welcome, thanks in advance.

Adie

Must be Japanese because the 2 characters in blue on the right spell: Arita 有田.
The 2 characters in blue on the left spell: Kan Kama 官窯, which means something like: Government kiln. The rest in black is added later.
Mid 19th C.
Regards,
Martin.

Thanks so much for the translation of the marks Martin and Thank you Bokaba for you assessment of the piece.

Is it possible that the black writing is the signature of the artist? Do the black characters appear to be Japanese?

I believe this charger is Japanese due to the spur marks on the base (Chinese did use spurs for some very large items) and that the decoration depicts a Japanese scene. Due to the mechanical nature of the red overglaze background, I would suspect late Meiji Period (late 19th/early 20th Century) at the earliest.

Bokaba

Adie,

The black writing is Japanese, but not the signature of the artist. These kind of marks (Arita Kan Kama) were never together with a name. I think the black writing is done many years later, probably somewhere after WWII. The last character on the bottom of the right 4 characters is "Gama" 窯 (or Kama, is the same), which means kiln. But I can't read the rest, my knowledge of Japanse is not that good.
But good enough that I know it's not saying "right fire oak hall".
I think this black writing will stay a mysterie, unless someone else has an explanation.
Regards.
Martin.

Asianart.com | Associations | Articles | Exhibitions | Galleries |