Profusely decorated with flowers and foliage, this bowl bears the mark of Kinkozan zo (made by Kinkozan). Established in the 17th century in the Awata suburb of Kyoto, the workshop’s success grew and by the mid-18th century, was appointed official pottery to the Tokugawa shogun. Following the forced conclusion of Japan’s isolationist foreign policy, Kinkozan started to export to the West in 1877. This occurred shortly after the workshop’s discovery of underglaze cobalt blue. The deep blue ground shown here is thus characteristic of many Kinkozan export wares. As a result of these new trading links, enthusiasm for Japanese art and crafts, known commonly as ‘Japonisme‘, became widespread and had a profound effect on Western art and design. Due to this demand, the Kinkozan studio expanded and opened a highly productive factory, which remained active until 1927.
