Square Tray
Unknown Artist
1720
Medium
White porcelain decorated with blue under the glaze (Arita ware, Imari type)
Dimensions
W. 8 3/4 in. (22.2 cm); D. 7/8 in. (2.2 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Charles Stewart Smith, 1893
Accession Number
93.3.466
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant square tray, crafted around 1720 during Japan's Edo period (1615–1868), exemplifies the mastery of Arita ware porcelain from the Imari kilns in Saga Prefecture. Made of fine white porcelain decorated with cobalt blue under the glaze, it measures 8 3/4 inches wide and just 7/8 inch deep, perfect for serving sweets or as a decorative tray in a tea ceremony setting. The underglaze technique—where blue pigment is applied before a transparent glaze and fired at high temperatures—ensured durable, vibrant designs that wouldn't fade, a hallmark of Japanese export porcelain prized in Europ...