A blue and white Arita porcelain charger

Circa 1700, Japan

Diameter: 54.5cm, 21.5 inches

A large dish with broad flaring rim. The centre decorated with a scholar whose attendant holds up a parasol, they stand on a spit of land beside a lake and a pine tree. The rim is divided into eight panels with alternating designs of a single flower head and a collection of fruit, separated by an ornamental tassel and fish scales ground. The reverse is undecorated the base bearing the characteristic spur marks associated with Japanese manufacture.