Hello Peter, I’m very glad that you chose Mearto for your online appraisal, Considering the photographs, overall pattern, mark and the colours, I concluded that this is an Entirely Hand Painted Japanese Kutani Ware Bowl. Dating back to the period between 1890-1920. The precision and the Kutani Mark suggest that this piece is likely made before 1900 but sinc ethere were some similar piece that belonged to post 1900 era it is more accurate to date it to a certain time period that I indicated. "A Thousand Faces" was a used theme in both Satsuma and Kutani piece over the years. Kutani pieces usually depicted faces more primarily and had more detail in late 19th century when compared to Satsuma pieces. Considering that other pieces of your collection are also Kutani Ware, it is certain to call this piece a Kutani. This theme tells a story of immotal wisdom. We can clearly see that characters are depicted as senior monks or noblemen. Some holding and reading scrolls, this is a clear indication that the artists wanted to put out the virtue of wisdom. A highly detailed piece like this takes considerable time and care to paint. This is a care and detail we usually see in 19th century. But, very thin porcelain also referred as egg shell were not very common in this period so this is a point to state. In the interior decoration we again see a very detailed gilt work surrounded by dragons on inward surfaces. The rim was also decorated with black and gilt semi-symbols. The piece's painting quality is above average and it is a professional artist's work indeed. In very good condition without any faults, chips or cracks. Entirely hand painted. Dimensions: 4.5 Inches of Diameter Condition: In very good condition without any faults, chips or cracks. Provenance: Owned by the customer's mother since the 1960's 250-350$. Please don’t hesitate to reach us again for more online appraisals on your precious items, thank you for choosing Mearto.
