Antique Lamp – a Rare Chinese Imari Lamp Circa 1750
Imari porcelain is the name understood in the West as Japanese porcelain made at Arita and exported through the port of Imari. From the mid 17th century the Dutch East India Company monopolised the lucrative export trade, supplying the insatiable European demand for porcelain.
It came to the attention of the Chinese porcelain makers at the vast Imperial kilns at Jingdezhen that Japanese Imari porcelain was in high demand in Europe. The Chinese makers were quick to realise the commercial success of the Japanese Imari style of decoration and by the early 18th century were producing a Chinese version of the Japanese Imari style
Chinese-Imari pieces are typically less decorated than the Japanese originals with more white porcelain showing. Japanese Imari is usually all-over decorated, producing a much more “busy” style, however, in general, Chinese-Imari examples are more finely potted with a thinner more even glaze. The colour palette follows the traditional Japanese original, Rouge de Fer, or, Iron red, under glaze cobalt blue and gilding
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