Cleveland Museum of Art

Dish with Ginkgo Leaves

Date

late 1600s–early 1700s

Medium

Porcelain with underglaze blue (Hizen ware, Nabeshima type)

Culture

Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

Department

Japanese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This dish is an example of the finest type of Japanese porcelain, Nabeshima-type Hizen ware. It has a complex, abstracted design of ginkgo leaves and “Chinese grasses” ( karakusa ) in underglaze blue that may be among the most interesting of the underglaze blue designs. The dish is the largest of the three standard-sized Nabeshima dishes for individual servings. The ginkgo's distinctive fan-shaped leaf is a symbol of longevity and endurance in Japanese art.

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