159 - Imari vase. Japan, first half of the 20th century.

Imari vase. Japan, first half of the 20th century. Hand painted ceramic. Measurements: 32 x 20 x 20 cm. Porcelain vase richly decorated with Imari style glazes, with a profuse ornamentation that combines intricate plant designs, accompanied by plant motifs and cartouches with geometric patterns, in a free and asymmetrical mixture typical of Japanese plastic. The main characteristic of the Imari style is the use of underglaze cobalt blue glaze, combined with other overglaze glazes, mainly iron red and gilding. When it also includes gilding, as we see here, it is called Imari Nishiki. Imari pieces were produced in Japan from the third quarter of the seventeenth century until 1730-35, although there was a revival of the style during the nineteenth century. Decoratively, Imari is very free, with compositions that occupy the entire space of the piece, generally asymmetrical, combining different motifs and cartouches of various shapes, as we see here.