Plate, anonymous, c. 1670 - c. 1700
The decorative composition on this plate is not entirely balanced: the bamboo shoot, for example, ends somewhat clumsily by the rim of the plate. This is typical of Kakiemon-style porcelain, which is often slightly less refined in its manufacture and painted decoration. Kakiemon-style porcelain was not made in the Nangawara quarter of Arita – the centre for Kakiemon production – but in other locations in the southern Japanese town.