This Arita Imari charger carries the deep red body most associated with the style, set off by cobalt blue detailing and a floral motif centred on the plate — a combination that made Imari ware instantly recognisable to Western buyers once it began arriving in quantity during the Meiji period. Red, blue, and gilt together were something of a signature palette for Arita's export kilns, chosen partly because the colours held up well and read as distinctly "Japanese" to audiences abroad who couldn't always tell one kiln from another.
Chargers like this one were made in large, flat forms specifically because they showed the decoration off to best advantage, whether hung on a wall or used as a serving piece at the table — a plate that was always doing double duty as decoration first and tableware second.
Condition notes
Good antique condition. Hairline crack; some firing pockmarks to glaze; chip to edge; some light scuffing to enamel.
