Terms and conditions of use
Kyoto service, dessert plate
designed (1878); manufactured (1878-1884)
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, NGV Supporters of Decorative Arts, 2018
- Gallery location
- Not on display
About this work
The Kyoto service is representative of the enthusiasm among the French middle class for decorated domestic objects that appropriated Asian styles and motifs, a taste that peaked during the 1870s and 1880s. The decorative mix of Japanese imagery, Chinese imagery and European ornamentation is typical of the eclectic nature of such domestic objects at the time. Each flat piece is decorated with a square Japanese plate placed over the European round form and decorated with overlapping cartouche forms, referencing poem cards, fans and the so-called snowflake design. The decoration within each cartouche represents a mix of Japanese landscape, bird and floral imagery, ink sticks, abstract repeat patterns and scenes from traditional tales, including The Bamboo Cutter.
Artwork Details
painted (diagonally) in blue on base l.r.: B
painted (diagonally) in red on base l.r.: 六
Purchased, NGV Supporters of Decorative Arts, 2018