A very rare, fine & iconic mid 17th century Arita Ai-Kutani type moulded tiny 'bean dish' (mame-sara) in the form of a jar, the interior sparsely decorated in underglaze cobalt blue with spring bracken tendrils and sprouting horsetail ferns, the reverse decorated with folded pine needles
 
Arita kiln, Ai-Kutani type, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period, Kanbun era (1660-1673)
circa 1660-1670
 
(5.8 cm diameter; 4.9 cm high)
 
An iconic form of very early Japanese moulded porcelain in the shape of a storage jar, painted sparsely to the front in underglaze cobalt blue with spring bracken tendrils and sprouting horsetail ferns, the reverse decorated with folded pine needles. These small bean dishes, called mame-sara 豆皿 are revered in Japan; there is a love of the aesthetic beauty of small objects that fit snugly into the palm of one’s hand.
 
A beautiful and very fine form in perfect condition.
 
See 'A Complete Catalogue of the Shibata collection' for an almost identical dish, no.1865.
 
Condition: 
Superb, original condition.
 
Provenance: 
A private Japanese Collection (Kyoto, Japan)