A large Arita porcelain with gold and lacquer dish, Edo Period

A large porcelain dish enhanced with black and gold lacquer, Edo period (1603-1868), 19th century, Arita ovens.

This dish, exceptional for its size and decorative technique, represents the Buddhist shrine of Itsukushima, a sacred island in the Northwest of Hiroshima Bay. This shrine was created in the 6th century AD to receive the remains of Buddhist saints, then it was enlarged and rebuilt in the 16th century, and since then it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The highest peak of this 20 square kilometer island is Mount Misen, which rises to 527 meters above the sea: it serves as the background for the temple complex.

Similar dishes, but of much smaller sizes and representing Japanese harbours such as Arita or Imari, appear in the Japanese collections of the San Francisco Museum (USA) and the Guimet Museum (Paris)