A 19th Century Inban Ware Small Dish: Fiddlehead Motif

late nineteenth century
1" x 4", 2.5 cm x 10 cm

Inban ware is a type of every day ceramic from old Japan that uses hand cut stencils to guide its design on to its surface: the stencils used for this purpose are very similar to those used in the katazome dyeing process, which makes Inban ware an interesting counterpart to folk textiles.

Inban ware was only produced for a narrow window of time, roughly from around 1878 to 1898.

Shown here is a small, shallow plate. The symmetrical design is composed of a central medallion from which radiates three dark shapes which are composed of a wave pattern. In between these dark areas are three light areas which highlight warabi or stylized fiddlehead fern or bracken. As can easily be seen on the accompanying detail photographs here, there is some smudging and dripping of the blue glaze which was stenciled onto this plate.

These imperfections lend charm to Inban ware.

A delightful, and wholly usable little plate.