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I think this bowl is just wonderful and I believe it is a piece of Satsuma Ware, but I would love to know what the scene is depicting. It shows a very rough looking piratical character, fairly hirsute with exaggerated long earlobes, who appears to be conversing with a small winged demon who is reading from a scroll.

It is quite small, about 4 � inches diameter and 2 � inches deep.
The decoration is hand painted and mind bogglingly detailed with incredible raised gilding and enamel patterns.

It is made of pottery and has fine crazing and some staining. There aren�t any marks. Does anyone recognise the style? And what sort of date would you give it?

This nicely decorated bowl certainly appears to be made of Satsuma-type crackle-glaze stoneware. However, without a Satsuma mark, suspicion shifts to Kyoto, where a number of studios painted such pottery during the latter part of the Meiji period (1868-1912). Some of the Kyoto ware bore a Satsuma mark in addition to that of the studio. This type of stoneware also is found with Kutani marks.

The motif is interesting, as demons generally are associated with Shoki, the 'Demon Queller', although the figure with the winged creature on your bowl looks to be some other celestial, as indicated by his exaggerated earlobes. Shoki generally is depicted with a full beard, often red, and wears a traditional scholars cap.

Best regards,

Bill H.

Thanks Bill; I think I have a lot of reading to do!

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