ARITA, HIZEN PROVINCE [JAPAN]
Two female figures
c.1690-1730Porcelain painted in underglaze blue, overglaze enamels and gold | 58.0 x 23.0 x 18.0 cm (whole object) | RCIN 2402
Beautiful women (bijin) were a popular theme in Japanese woodblock prints of the Edo period (1615–1868). These fashionable female figures were soon added to porcelain, creating an idealised view in Europe of the exotic Japanese woman with eye-catching kimono.