Dish with rocky landscape, Japan

Dish with rocky landscape, Japan, Arita kilns, 1650–80. Museum no. 309-1877

Dish with rocky landscape
Japan, Arita kilns
1650-80
Porcelain, with enamels painted over the glaze
Museum no. 309-1877

Japan began to manufacture porcelain after 1600. The main centre, Arita, created porcelain of exceptional quality, inspired by Chinese blue-and-white wares.

Around 1640, Arita also began to produce enamelled porcelain. Pieces such as this dish were once attributed to central Japan and called 'Kutani ware'. The maker of this dish sketched the fir tree, bamboo and rocks in black before adding the colours.

Dish with fabulous beasts, Iran

Dish with fabulous beasts, Iran, 1666–74. Museum no. 2808-1876

Dish with fabulous beasts
Iran
1666-74
Fritware, painted before glazing
Museum no. 2808-1876

After 1600, Iran produced large quantities of blue-and-white dishes for domestic use and export. As the materials and techniques for making porcelain were not available, the Iranians instead made the dishes from fritware, which was composed of ground quartz and small quantities of white clay and ground glass.

The decoration freely interprets Chinese themes. Unusually, the rim and curve are united as a single band of decoration.

Bottle with enamel colours, Japan

Bottle with enamel colours, Japan, Arita, 1680–1700. Museum no. C.197-1956

Bottle with enamel colours
Japan, Arita
1680-1700
Porcelain, painted in enamels
Museum no. C.197-1956

The first Asian porcelains with multi-coloured painting to be seen in the West were Japanese. The Dutch imported them when Chinese blue-and-white wares became unavailable.

They captivated the market, inspiring widespread imitation. By showing the range of enamel colours that could be added to already fired wares, they altered the course of Western ceramic decoration for ever. The simple asymmetric painting on this vase is typical of Japanese 'Kakiemon wares', so-called after a family of ceramic painters.

Blue-and-white vase, China

Blue-and-white vase, China, Jingdezhen, 1685–1720. Museum no. C.859-1910

Blue-and-white vase
China, Jingdezhen
1685-1720
Porcelain, painted under the glaze
Museum no. C.859-1910
George Salting Bequest

This vase shows Chinese blue-and-white at its most technically impressive. The decoration illustrates a popular love story.

The vase was made during the reign of Kangxi, China's longest-ruling emperor. Kangxi brought stability to China and encouraged the manufacture of ceramics for export. This vase was made not specifically for the West, but is of a type recorded in European princely collections.

Dish with lion, England

Dish with lion, England, Staffordshire, 1670–89. Museum no. 2079–1901

Dish with lion
Made by Thomas Toft (died 1689?)
England, Staffordshire
1670-89
Lead-glazed earthenware, with trailed slip decoration
Museum no. 2079-1901

This thickly potted dish is decorated with trailed slips (liquid clays) and was probably made for a country tavern.

Most dishes of this type were made before Staffordshire's potteries industrialised and began concentrating on finely made tablewares. They were later championed as supreme examples of English vernacular art and were a formative influence on early 20th-century studio potters. This one became distorted when fired on its side.

Dish with panelled border, Japan

Dish with panelled border, Japan, Arita kilns, 1660–80. Museum no. 1724-1876

Dish with panelled border
Japan, Arita kilns
1660-80
Porcelain, painted before glazing
Museum no. 1724-1876

Dishes with panelled borders were mass-produced in China for export to the Middle East and Europe from 1570 onwards. The trade was conducted at first by Portuguese and then by Dutch merchants, who called them 'Kraak porcelain'.

After the Ming dynasty fell in 1644, Chinese production collapsed and the Dutch turned to the Arita kilns of Japan for substitutes. The muted blue of the larger, heavier Arita wares is caused by impurities in the cobalt.

Flower pyramid, Netherlands

Flower pyramid, Netherlands, Delft, about 1690. Museum no. C.19 to J-1982

Flower pyramid
Made at the 'Metal Pot' factory
Formerly from North Mymms Park, Hertfordshire
Netherlands, Delft
About 1690
Tin-glazed earthenware, with decoration painted into the glaze
Museum no. C.19 to J-1982.

Delft became a major centre of European ceramics after the Ming dynasty collapsed in 1644 and Chinese porcelain could no longer be obtained.

This tiered tulip vase is one of the most ambitious Delftware productions. The short-lived trend for such vases was set by the English court of William and Mary. Queen Mary had developed a passion for Delftware and blue-and-white during her years in the Netherlands.

Teapot with enamelled flowers, England

Teapot with enamelled flowers, England, probably London, about 1693. Museum no. C.133&A-1938

Teapot with enamelled flowers

Made by John Philip Elers (1664-1738) and David Elers (about 1656-1742) England, probably London
About 1693
Salt-glazed stoneware, painted in enamels, with a replacement silver spout
Museum no. C.133&A-1938

The fashion for hot drinks such as tea, coffee and chocolate was a huge stimulus for the European ceramic industry around 1700.

This very early teapot was made by slip-casting, a revolutionary new technique invented by John and David Elers. Vessels were cast by pouring liquid clay (slip) into plaster moulds. The process made the manufacture of complicated forms in large quantities easier and less expensive.

Guanyin,China

Guanyin,China, Dehua, 1600–1700. Museum no. C.548-1910

Guanyin
China, Dehua
1600-1700
Porcelain, with ivory-coloured glaze
Museum no. C.548-1910
George Salting Bequest

Dehua, in southern China, specialised in modelled and moulded figures, small tea wares and incense burners. They were made of glazed but unpainted porcelain stone, which fired to a beautiful creamy white. First produced for the domestic Chinese market, they were later exported to Europe, where they became known as blanc-de-chine.

The Buddhist figure, Guanyin, is the Bodhisattva ('enlightened being') of compassion.

Bowl with hunting scenes, Spain

Bowl with hunting scenes, Spain, Talavera, about 1700. Museum no. 329-1876

Bowl with hunting scenes
Spain, Talavera
About 1700
Tin-glazed earthenware, with decoration painted into the glaze
Museum no. 329-1876

The bright metallic lustres that had made Spanish pottery so desirable fell out of fashion by 1500. As potters from Italy, the Netherlands and France arrived in Spain, new styles emerged.

Talavera became famous for its colourful, painterly decoration. The market for such superbly painted pottery grew following a Spanish law of 1601 prohibiting gold and silver tablewares.