Porcelain leaf-shaped dish by Nonomura Ninsei

Porcelain leaf-shaped dish by Nonomura Ninsei

Japan, Edo period (1603 – 1868), 17th century

Length: 6 1/8 inches, 15.5 cm
Width: 6 1/4 inches, 16 cm
Height: 1 1/4 inches, 3 cm

A porcelain leaf-shaped dish for the tea ceremony.  The dish is detailed with a pale blue wash around the edges and brown lines indicating the veins. The base is unglazed and impressed with the mark of Ninsei.

 

Ninsei (active c. 1646 – 94) was a Japanese potter from Kyoto. He was born Nonomura Seisuke and later received the first name Seiemon. When he later took the artistic name Ninsei, elements of his birth name Seiemon, and of the Ninna-ji temple, where his kiln was located, were put together.  His kiln produced the well-known Kyo ware, a type of Japanese pottery.  Ninsei specialised in tea ceremony wares, notable for their fine glaze and decorated in traditional motifs. Examples of his wares, including a white-glazed jar, are in the Metropolitan Museum, New York1 and in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.2

  1. Metropolitan Museum, New York online archive: www/metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45962 2 www/britannia.com/biography/Ninsei