Porcelain plate with design of auspicious fruits

From Arita, Japan
Edo period, AD 1760-1790s

This porcelain plate is decorated with underglaze blue and coloured enamels. The Chinese auspicious fruits depicted are pomegranate, peach and lychee. This design originated in China and was first adopted in Japan in the seventeenth century as a straightforward imitation of Chinese ware. Later pieces often have an element of eccentric symmetry, a common feature of Japanese design.