{"product_id":"meiji-era-hirado-porcelain-dragon-headed-treasure-ship-vase","title":"Meiji era Hirado porcelain dragon-headed treasure ship vase","description":"\u003ch3\u003eAbout this piece\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eA blue and white porcelain treasure ship from the Mikawachi kilns of Hirado, made in the late Meiji period between about 1890 and 1910, with a dragon’s head for a prow. The kilns worked under the Matsura clan, lords of Hirado, from the seventeenth century. For a long time their fine white porcelain and soft underglaze blue were reserved for the clan and its gifts, before the wider world caught up with them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe form is the Takarabune, the ship that sails in at New Year carrying the Seven Lucky Gods and their treasures. People used to tuck a picture of it under the pillow at New Year in the hope of a lucky first dream, which is a lot to ask of a piece of paper. Porcelain seems a sturdier bet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe dragon at the bow has a scaly head, a hollow open mouth and a separately moulded white tongue, with a bat and a Buddhist endless knot painted on the platform below. The deep oval basin holds the takaramono, or lucky treasures, among them a magic mallet, a scroll and a treasure bag. The stern has a phoenix among clouds above a spiral frieze, and the hull runs with foaming waves and birds in flight. The base is unmarked, with a wide unglazed ring around a glazed centre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCondition notes\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eExcellent antique condition overall. The upper part of the dragon’s head has been professionally restored in the past. The separately moulded tongue inside the mouth is intact.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rita's Bazaar","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55346858459469,"sku":"B1874","price":500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0975\/4191\/4957\/files\/20260915_221702.jpg?v=1794278277","url":"https:\/\/ritasbazaar.co.uk\/products\/meiji-era-hirado-porcelain-dragon-headed-treasure-ship-vase","provider":"Rita’s Bazaar","version":"1.0","type":"link"}