Kutani Ware Small Cat Shaped Plate

At a glance

- Kutani yaki (九谷焼) porcelain, Harekutani, Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture; overglaze colour tradition begun with Ko Kutani, the earliest Kutani style, in the early Edo period (1603 to 1868)
- Whole dish shaped like a cat in profile, the same design as the larger main plate at just over half the length; light blue fills the tail solid, red scatters in irregular patches echoing a real calico's uneven coat
- Approx. 14 x 7.2cm; presented in a branded gift box

This smaller cat keeps its face and body in plain white porcelain either way. In light blue, all the colour is saved for the tail, filled solid and curling along the base of the plate. In red, the colour comes instead as patches, a small triangle at the ear, a curve along the back, a single round spot mid body, and a larger patch spreading into the tail, closer to a real calico's uneven coat than to a designed, repeating pattern. Both are the same idea as the larger main plate, simply built down to size.

Harekutani is the newest chapter for Kitano Toujudou, a Kutani wholesaler trading out of Nomi City, Ishikawa, since 1972, working within Kutani yaki, a porcelain tradition over 360 years old.

At 14cm, it is the right size for a few olives, a small pile of nuts, or a spoonful of chutney beside a cheeseboard. Presented in a branded gift box.