A FINELY PAINTED AI KUTANI-STYLE CIRCULAR DISH
EARLY EDO PERIOD (LATE 17TH CENTURY)
KANBUN/ENPO ERA (1660-1673) circa 1660-70
 
Sharply potted biscuit-fired porcelain of circular form with a delicately flared rim, the interior superbly painted in contrasting tones of underglaze cobalt blue, featuring a Japanese long-tailed bushtit (Shima Enaga) perched upon the knarled branches of a flowering plum tree in the foreground, a snow-clad garden and neatly banded hedge fencing in the background. The scene encircled with a single cobalt blue line.
 
The underside encircled with scrolling karakusa and flowerheads, some kiln-grit adhering to the footrim, a single spar mark within a cobalt-blue circle to the base.
 
5.7 inches diameter (14.5 cm diameter)