Inlaid in white slip on the interior with a wide frieze of clouds interspersed with flying cranes of white slip with iron-slip legs, beaks and eyes, the sunken circular well inlaid in white slip with a single chrysanthemum within a cloud collar, all below a narrow band of lines and grasses; the exterior inlaid with another elaborate frieze executed in white and iron slip inlay of successive bands of leaves, chrysanthemum roundels and scrolling foliage. Diameter 20 cm. The smaller one in the same slip decoration but with chrysanthemum against a celdon ground. Diameter 12 cm.
The large one restored. Cracks, firingspots.
From the Collection of Johan Almqvist (1940-2024). Johan spent his early years in various countries and learned many languages thanks to his father, Karl Fredrik Almqvist (1906-1982), who was a Swedish diplomat. Johan had a passion for art and travel early on. In the early 1960s, as one of his first jobs as a free-lance journalist, he traveled to the Middle East where his interest in Persian ceramics and collecting started.
He then came to be based in Japan, still as a free-lance journalist for all the major Scandinavian Newspapers as well as Springer (Die Welt and Zeitung), Swedish Television, Svensk Radio and Radio Luxembourg. He covered a large part of Asia, including The Philippines, Korea, and Vietnam.
1974 he was hired by Beijer Invest to be based in Japan.
For the larger one, compare a similar sold at Christies, lot no 115. 17 march 2009, Live auction 2266. Japanese and Korean Art.