Plate with Japanese court woman and birds

Japanese, for European market

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 201

The design of an elegant court woman in a garden is one of the few export motifs that is uniquely Japanese. This design was inspired by the fifth chapter of the famed Tale of Genji, in which the young protagonist peeks at a lady as she is releasing a bird from a cage. Written by Lady Murasaki Shikibu (ca. 973–1014), this novel recounts the life, tumultuous loves, and caddish behavior of Prince Genji.

Plate with Japanese court woman and birds, Hard-paste porcelain painted with colored enamels over transparent glaze (Hizen ware; Imari type), Japanese, for European market

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Plate with Japanese court woman and birds, Hard-paste porcelain painted with colored enamels over transparent glaze (Hizen ware; Imari type), Japanese, for European market
Plate with Japanese court woman and birds, Hard-paste porcelain painted with colored enamels over transparent glaze (Hizen ware; Imari type), Japanese, for European market

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