Satsuma box; Japan, 19th century.

Satsuma box; Japan, XIX century. Glazed ceramic. With marks on the base. Measurements: 6 x 9 cm Small circular box with lid, decorated with a samurai battle. Inside the lid, a decoration with the same theme, of extraordinary quality. It presents in the base the marks of the ceramist, in gold. Satsuma ware has been made since the beginning of the 18th century on the island of Kyushuu, and was a type of pottery with great Korean influence, as in fact it was even brought to Korean potters. In the second half of the 18th century it became so popular in Japan that the production center was moved to Awata, near Kyoto. Thus, there is a local production in the eighteenth century, although the pieces for export in the nineteenth century, already produced in Awata, will have a greater importance. The paste is not porcelain, but a very light, porous light terracotta. The glaze is feldspathic, mixed with wood ash. The most characteristic feature of Satsuma ware is its decorative richness, sometimes even exaggerated.