The small pot looks like a rather large teacup with the lid, but it is believed that these small pots were exported to the Westerns for use to store candy and bonbons. The entire surface of the pot, including the lid, is decorated with bird-and-flower figure with brocade background.
size ; body caliber about 5.2 cm, height about 10.3 cm, lid diameter about 6 cm
This bird-and-flower figure is drawn in details on the entire surface, as is often seen in the export kutani that Ennaka Magohei (円中孫平) pioneered in the early Meiji period, so it has a taste like a Japanese-style painting and is finished to the detailed Meiji kutani.
The tab of the lid is shaped like a treasure ball for wishing, and the surface is covered with brocade. The pattern on the lid is drawn across the cup, and it looks like auspicious clouds. The combination of a treasure ball and auspicious clouds shows that they are the best luck. It seems that this pot looks beautiful to the eyes of Westerners.
The back name is written as “produced by 円中Ennaka / painted by 逸山Itsuzan”. Ennaka was one of the pioneering pottery merchants in the early and middle Meiji period, and it is said that Ennaka asked painters to quickly incorporate Western tastes into their porcelain painting.
creator of the work
Hatta Itsuzan 八田 逸山 year of birth and death is unknown.
It is found that Hatta Ituzan learned porcelain painting from master craftsman Sasada Yuzan (笹田友山), or that Hatta was asked by pottery merchant Ennaka Magohei (円中孫平) to create the export kutani, or that master craftsman Ishino Ryuzan (石野竜山) was a disciple of Hatta. From these facts, it is thought that Hatta was active in the middle of the Meiji period.
In addition, the fact that the creation was asked by Ennaka (円中) and big pottery merchant Watano Kichiji (綿野吉二), who carefully selected excellent Meiji kutani and exported it, shows that Hatta was one of the master craftsmen of Meiji kutani. Therefore, his works such as aka-e and brocade are handed down as masterpieces.