Dish with Ginkgo Leaves

late 1600s-early 1700s

Dish with Ginkgo Leaves, late 1600s-early 1700s. Japan, Edo period (1615-1868). Porcelain with underglaze blue (Hizen ware, Nabeshima type); diameter: 20 cm (7 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2017.61 This dish is an example of the finest type of Japanese porcelain, Nabeshima-type Hizen ware. It has a complex, abstracted design of ginkgo leaves and “Chinese grasses” (karakusa) in underglaze blue that may be among the most interesting of the underglaze blue designs. The dish is the largest of the three standard-sized Nabeshima dishes for individual servings. The ginkgo's distinctive fan-shaped leaf is a symbol of longevity and endurance in Japanese art.