A hirado porcelain blue-and-white tokkuri (sake bottle)


Meiji era (1868-1912), late 19th/early 20th centuryPainted in underglaze blue with the 'The Three Friends of Winter' (shochikubai: pine, prunus and bamboo), the body intentionally moulded with three large asymmetrical indentations for ease of handling; the base with the original Tomkinson collection label, no.306. 17.2cm (6¾in) high.
|ProvenanceMichael Tomkinson Collection, no.306.PublishedMichael Tomkinson, A Japanese Collection, London, George Allen, 1898, vol.2, p.97, no.306 not illustrated but described: 'Sake-tokkuri, Hizen porcelain, blue and white; the sides indented. Height, 6½″'.