Interior Design

Antique Lamps – Kakiemon – A Story Of Harmony And Balance

Kakiemon, pronounced, Ka.ki.e.mon, is all about balance, a small range of distinctive colors, (the palette), pure White Porcelain and a perfect eye for harmony.

In the world of art and design, colour is important, in fact, of primary importance, with many specific colours bearing the name of their originator.  The sublime palette of Kakiemon enamels is a key example.

Kakiemon’s color range is small, but distinctive, delicate, balanced and in perfect harmony. The palette is composed of iron-red, cerulean-blue, turquoise-green, yellow, aubergine, and gold. 

It is the iron red aspect of the pallet from which the story unfolds.

We must look back to 17th century Japan and the birth of Sakaida Kizaemon (1596-1666) the founding father of the celebrated dynastic family of Japanese potters.

It was Sakaida, working in the ceramic heartland of Japanese ceramics, Arita province, which, with a range of “firsts”, who opened a new window to the world of ceramic art. The extremely fine, pure white body (Nigoshide) was believed to have been exclusive to the Kakiemon kiln. He was, unquestionably, not only a master potter, but could “see” colors that literally, as enamels, did not exist.

Japanese art, with its long history, has always drawn its inspiration from the world of nature, with each changing season offering a new pallet of colors and ideas. Kakiemon wares are usually painted with natural subjects, birds in branches, flying squirrels, the “quail and millet”, grasshoppers, moths and garden insects. Very often seen are the “Three Friends of Winter” (pine, prunus, and bamboo), trailing flowers, and banded hedges.

 Human subjects are rare; some have been given titles such as the “Woman and the Nightingale” and “Hob in the Well”, a title given by 18th century England!  The decoration based on a popular design derived from the story of a Chinese sage who saved his friend who had fallen into a large fishbowl. The chrysanthemum, the national flower of Japan, is a very common subject.  

It was from this natural world that Sakaida Kizaemon produced his “iron red” by capturing the delicate red color and texture of the persimmon (kaki) on porcelain. He is traditionally believed to have introduced over glaze enameling on porcelain to Japan in the 1640s and In recognition of his dedication and artistic achievements he was awarded the honorific name of Kaki-emon, or, Kakiemon.

The Kakiemon family remains porcelain makers and skilled decorators, right up to today, with only the eldest son inheriting the family name and special skills.

Kakiemon XIII (1906-1982) was designated as an important cultural treasure of Japan in March 1971 and Kakiemon XIV, born in 1934, the 13th descendant of Sakaida Kakiemon, was designated a Living National Treasure of ceramic decoration in July, 2001

Kakiemon porcelains can be typified by hexagonal or octagonal shapes. An iron-brown dressing (fuchi-beni) was applied to the edges of many Kakiemon porcelains to embellish them and to protect the rims from being chipped, white porcelain with a colorless glaze and widely spaced decoration, placed with a perfect eye for harmony and balance.

History is and always will be, like the tide, going in and out and the story of Kakiemon is not exempt.

China, throughout history was not only the originator of porcelain, but the then, source of porcelain, but, In the early 17th century, Imperial China was in complete political chaos with the turmoil of the closeting years of the Ming dynasty. The dynasty completely collapsed in 1644 and the production of export porcelain to the West came to a halt. It would be thirty years later that the production of export porcelain would resume.

It was the Dutch, who at the time were the great merchant trading sea power, who with a concession trading port, exported vast amounts of Chinese export porcelain to Europe, all produced at the great kilns at Jingdezhen.

When production stopped, the merchant fleet turned to Japan. The Dutch merchant fleet was the only Western nation allowed to trade there and had their trading port on Deshima Island, in Nagasaki harbor. Remember that Japan was closed to the West in an effort to contain European influence and it was only from these designated ports that trading could take place. 

In fact, the production of Japanese porcelain had only a half a century’s history before the Dutch East Indiamen arrived. It was not long before the Dutch trading fleet, laden with Japanese porcelain were heading for Holland. The arrival of the “New” Japanese porcelain was a revelation, as very little colored porcelain had been seen, as most of the Chinese export had been blue and white wares.  

This was 17th century Japans porcelain export high peak with virtually no competition. Kakiemon however, was the most prized and certainly, the most expensive and was the preferred style in the princely palaces of Northern Europe, and despite the price, was the style most sought after by the rich and famous!

But the sleeping dragon was waking, and China’s chaos had subsided with the establishment of the Manchu dynasty and the long and productive reign of the Kang Xi Emperor.

The great kilns at Jingdezhen were reopened and the thriving business of export porcelain to the West commenced.

Japanese Kakiemon porcelain, with its export to Europe, became the most influential ceramic decoration towards the end of the 17th century; The shapes, the decorative style and exquisite palette were copied by all the most important 18th century European factories, including Meissen, Chantilly, Chelsea, Bow and Worcester.

Kakiemon continued to influence European decoration throughout the 18th and into the 19th century and is still being reproduced by the most famous porcelain makers today. One of the 19th century’s great reproducers’ of Kakiemon was the very skillfulEdmé Samson of Paris.

A very fine “Samson of Paris” hexagonal lamp decorated in Japanese Kakiemon style.

The six sided shape decorated with three full panels of Kakiemon style decoration. Panel one with flowering cherry boughs and delicately enamelled birds in flight.  Panel two with the Japanese mythical bird, the ho-o, which represented the Emperor. The Ho-o bird perched on flowering orchid stems in a bamboo stand. Panel three decorated with a pastel coloured bird, enameled in pale lemon, turquoise and a touch of red. The bird perched in prunus, flowering on old wood.

The three decorative subjects separated with alternating panels of “red panel”, or, karakusa scroll executed in reverse technique. The red panel scroll work, skillfully enamelled, in iron red and turquoise.

The lamp standing on the original gilded metal, hexagonal base and  with the original, gilded cap, modeled as a chrysanthemum flower, the national flower of Japan.

A very pretty lamp in beautiful condition.

The lamp shown with a custom made pure silk hexagonal lamp shade.

Circa 1870

The Antique and Vintage Table Lamp Co specialise in antique lamps with an exclusive on-line range of over 100 unique lamps.  Lamps are shipped ready wired for the US, the UK and Australia.

For further information you are invited to visit their web site at -:

 http://www.antiquelampshop.com

© The Antique and Vintage Table Lamp Co 2010

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 spanning a period of over 45 years,including 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 and is well known to local and international interior designers who have included many of his table lamps in their projects. He has also supplied items of national interest to the official Sydney residence of the Australian Prime Minister.

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