Bijou Apparel

Blue Enamel

Table lamps in the moonlight

When you think of Japanese porcelain, we often think of the bright Imari, but not all Japanese Imari is colorful.

A famous maker of early 19th century, porcelain Seto in Aichi Prefecture Japans, its porcelain decorated in a very special blue sapphire, typical naturalist, Zen influenced subjects, such as grasses dominated by pine, altered willow formations and wind-blown trees.

"Seto" refers to both the city and the style of ceramics which it arose. Seto is also one of Japan's famous "six old kilns." Seto Porcelain come rather late. It appeared early 19th century, when Kato Tamikichi returned to Seto Island of Kyushu and success from cobalt blue decorated porcelain, Tamikichi is in fact, considered the "father of porcelain" in the Seto area.

The Antique and Vintage Table Lamp Co illustrate a fine Seto "Moon Flask, lamp, decorated with beautiful blue sapphire Seto.

A 19th century Japanese porcelain, Imari Seto, moon lamp ball.

The ball painted with a delicacy about Japanese naturalist a knotty pine growing beside a steep mountain, or natural Bonsai.

The subject painted in the distinctive character, Seto Imari sapphire blue enamel.

The sides of the ball, base, and neck painted with a motif of a kinky twist and bend of the head.

Col the flask with applied white dragon handles.

The lamp on a custom oval, oval, gilded wood base.

The lamp base in bronze gold plated.

Circa 1880 Overall height (including shade) 20 "/ 51cm

However, to see the bigger picture, we must look beyond the long history of Japanese art and design, to see some of the many influences, both internal and external that have contributed recognizable to today "Japanese design."

Until Admiral Perry's opening of Japan to the West (1854) with both positive and negative, the Japanese art and design has been virtually unknown to the Western world. Perry met with Japan opened the doors to a flood East / West exchange of ideas, rarely seen before. In a decade that Japanese design concepts arrived in the West.

Two traffic names used to illustrate the influence on Western art. James Whistler, the Great American / British painter of the mid to late 19th century. He was one of the first westerners to be influenced by the artistic tradition of Japan and he developed a rather aesthetic response to life, he particularly admired the artistic attitude of Japanese do not distinguish between particles fine and decorative art. His assessment of what has led to Whistler for a wide range of artistic activities, strongly influenced by his named "the art of Japan."

The second example is the master of French Impressionism, Claude Monet. We do not know if the famous story of the discovery of Japanese art Monet is true, or anecdotal! But legend says that Monet fled to escape the siege Amsterdam Prussian 1871 in Paris. There, or, if the story goes, he observed a certain class Japanese prints used in a food store such as wrapping paper, he could not believe what he saw, he was so impressed, he bought all available. The purchase changed his life - and the history of Western art.

Monet was never afraid of his fascination for Japan and its art and 1876 five years after this visit to the Dutch food shop, he painted "The Japanese", showing his first wife Camille in a kimono on a background decorated of uchiwa (Japanese paper fans). At Giverny, where he settled in 1883 at the age of 42 years, he built a Japanese bridge over a pond Japanese in a Japanese garden, and he spent the rest of his life painting the private paradise - and especially water lilies.

Not only the art of the West was influenced by Japan, but, interiors, fashion and all forms of art, style and design. This exchange of ideas was two-lane design concepts with Weston being used in Japan. Perhaps for this reason that Impressionism caught on early Japan and still very popular. This exchange of ideas has been observed, especially in the porcelain produced by the great Japanese ceramic kilns, with its old tradition a thousand years.

Japanese porcelain and pottery, to the opening of Japan to the West, was the traditional and very aesthetic, understood, by then, insular and very conservative Japanese society. The main concept was to stick to rigidly proscribed forms.

This design style was not understood by a Western audience and it soon became clear that changes must be made for an export market of the West to succeed. For example, the Western market is very familiar with the Japanese "Imari" porcelain, with its "vivid color palette, primarily cobalt blue iron red and in this form always the basic palette Imari, which can then have a range of additional colors added.

This popular Japanese porcelain is called "Imari" due to the fact that it has been exported by different officials in the port of "Imari". These models were designed primarily light for a Western market and were, in fact, based on the traditional textile designs embroidered kimono.

The West's love Japanese art and design has never blamed and continues to evolve.

The Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co specialized in antique table lamp starting with a range in line of over 100 unique, vintage and antique lamps on view.

The lamps are supplied ready wired for the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

For more information you are invited to visit their website at

 

www.antiquelampshop.com

© The Co Antique & Vintage Table Lamp 2009

 

About the Author

Maurice Robertson, principal of The Antique and Vintage Table Lamp Co , has had a lifetime’s association with antique porcelain and pottery,with his commercial experience spaning a period of 40 years,including as a valuer to the Australian Government’s Incentive to the Arts Scheme. His long experience with antique ceramics and glass also includes dealing with leading museums and numerous international private collections. He has extended his ceramics expertise into the quality table lamps seen on the company’s site, he is well known to local and international interior designers who have included many of his table lamps in their projects and has also supplied items of national interest to the official Sydney residence of the Australian Prime Minister.

Check out this video on Blue Enamel:

Absolute Possibilities Turquoise-Blue Enamel Stack Ring