Object Description
Chinese 17th century blue and white porcelain Ko-sometsuke small open saucer. it was made for the Japanese market where it would have been part of the tea ceremony. Made during the reign of the Emperor Tianqi 1621-1627.
Painted to the centre with two galloping horses in a rocky landscape in front of a mountain topped with a fortress and a further distant mountain with a sun in the sky.
In Chinese folklore the horse was one of the signs of the zodiac and is revered in as being associated with speed and endurance. In Japan it was thought to carry messages between heaven and earth.
like so much of the ware made for the Japanese market there was often intended flaws made into the pieces for the Japanese aesthetics, this one has a few obviously intended frits to the rim
excellent piece