Large dish with pomegranate motif

The central medallion of this large dish is decorated with twigs of pomegranate and “Buddha’s hand” bearing three pieces of fruit. The decoration is executed in underglaze greyish cobalt blue, the outer sides are white and the bottom bears clearly discernible marks left by supporting cones. The decoration is reminiscent of the Chinese Wan-li style, which was much in demand by Dutch traders from the East India Company. Fragments of dishes with the identical decoration were found in archaeological research of the Hiekoba kiln in Arita. The National Gallery in Prague houses a dish with the identical decoration, but of Chinese provenance. (See Filip Suchomel – Marcela Suchomelová, Mistrovská díla japonského porcelánu, Praha 1997, p. 77.)