Eggshell Porcelain | Kutani Japanese | Moriage and gold leaf c. 1920

What a wonderful world we live in that produces such glorious art which can also be used to drink coffee! This cup is one of the finest examples of moriage (that technique which uses coloured clay and or enamel to build up 3d relief on the surface of the cup) I've seen yet. I believe this cup depicts one of the heads of the Shimazu clan, a family of magnates in Japan, feudal lords of Satsuma. The cross inside the circle is their crest, which is usually white on black, but is here in gold leaf. Below the crest an important man (presumably one of the Lords!) and his servants.

The cup is in very good condition.

Cup Diameter 8.5cm Saucer Diameter 12.5cm

What is Kutani?

Kutani seems to be a word bandied about with many not-Kutani listings nowadays. So just for your information, Kutani is the Japanese word for Nine Valleys. It is the name of a village, an area where the two characters 'Ku' is nine, and 'tani' is valley. Kutani is an ancient place where pottery was made in 1655. Theoretically then, every Kutani piece is marked with the Kutani characters... see picture 7 (the two characters under the depiction of Mount Fuji).