Satsuma ware bowl, figural scenes

late 19th century

Japanese

Satsuma ware is the name given to the lavishly enameled and gilded earthenware ardently collected by European and American buyers during the mid-late 19th-century craze for all things Japanese. The wares were given pride of place on the world stage at international expositions in Paris, Philadelphia, Chicago and St. Louis, inspiring admiration for their exotic, “oriental” flair. Though the name Satsuma designates an area at the southern tip of Kyushu long known for its ceramic production, it is almost certain that the dazzling gilded earthenware was not a traditional product but was invented for the foreign market.

Earthenware with enamel and gilt

3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm)

Diam.: 5 9/16 in.

Gift of Mrs. Ernest Dunbar Clark

72.50

Not currently on view

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