Satsuma tea set. Japan, XIX century.

Satsuma tea set. Japan, XIX century.
Glazed ceramic with polychrome and gilt decoration.
With mark on the base.
Composed of teapot, milk, sugar bowl, six dessert plates, six cups with their plates and two bowls.
In good condition.

Japanese Satsuma type tea set, made of glazed ceramic with rich polychrome and gold decoration. The set presents genre scenes of Japanese taste, with female figures, lake scenery, traditional architecture and mountains in the background.

The abundant use of gilding, applied on clear backgrounds and landscape motifs, creates a brilliant and precious surface. The figures, treated with detail in the kimonos and attitudes, are integrated into narrative compositions typical of Japanese production destined for the international market during the 19th century.

This type of service was widely diffused in Europe in the context of japonisme and the growing interest in Japanese decorative arts. The presence of a mark on the base and the conservation of the set with multiple pieces reinforce its decorative and collecting interest, as a representative example of Japanese export ceramics from the Meiji period or its immediate surroundings.