Bidspirit auction | Japanese Imari Hichozan Shinpo Porcelain

Japanese Imari Hichozan Shinpo Porcelain Plate Late Edo to Early Meiji Period - This Japanese Imari porcelain plate was produced by the Hichozan Shinpo workshop of Tashiro Monzaemon in Arita during the mid-to-late nineteenth century. The piece is crafted from hard-paste porcelain and features a pictorial scene executed in the traditional Imari palette of underglaze cobalt blue combined with overglaze enamels in iron red, green, yellow, and orange, highlighted with hand-painted gilding. The central motif depicts a large red baluster-form vase decorated with gilt scrolling vines and a peony, holding a bouquet of yellow and orange peonies with dark blue foliage. Beside the vase, a footed dish contains a pomegranate, a peach, and a finger citron, known as Buddha's hand. An arcing prunus branch in bloom frames the top of the scene with small birds in flight. The composition is set against a stylized green ground. The rim is finished with a border of scalloped red medallions containing gilt floral motifs. The underside is decorated with three underglaze blue floral and ribbon-tied sprays. The recessed base features a vertical four-character mark in red enamel that reads Hichozan Sei, with a small circular red seal below containing the character Shin.