Water ewer with long spout

The bulbous body of this Arita ewer bears decoration consisting of a Chinese man and woman in a landscape with stylized trees. The opposite side is adorned with just a landscape with pine and peach trees and one more tree. The neck is decorated with two stylized prunus twigs. The spout and handle bear a karakusa grass motif and a rosette. The anonymous painter was undoubtedly inspired by Chinese models painted in the Transitional style, which distorted the decoration. On the other hand, the spout and handle decoration is based on older European (Delft) patterns that were used in similar Ming wares. (See Filip Suchomel – Marcela Suchomelová, Mistrovská díla japonského porcelánu, Praha 1997, p. 69.)