RARE POST WW2 ERA 11 PIECE JAPANESE DRAGONWARE MORIAGE HAND PAINTED PORCELAIN TEASET

RARE POST WW2 ERA 11 PIECE JAPANESE DRAGONWARE MORIAGE HAND PAINTED PORCELAIN TEASET

A 11 PIECE BLUE DRAGONWARE MORIAGE TEASET WITH RAISED DESIGNS OF DRAGONS WRAPPING THEMSELVES AROUND ALL THE PIECES. MARKED KUTANI ABOVE A MOUNT FUJI IMAGE WITH TEXT HANDPAINTED JAPAN UNDERNEATH.
 
THIS SET IS VINTAGE AND LIKELY DATES TO JUST AFTER THE WORLD WAR 2 ERA FOR 2 REASONS. Originally, the dragon decoration was wrapped around the whole object. A practice that ended by the time of WWII according to online sources. If design is high but only on one side it propably dates to after WW2. On the earlier pieces as in before the 1920s some enamels and gilding occurs along the raised slip decoration as can be clearly seen on these pieces.
 
THE 11 PIECE TEASET INCLUDES A BEAUTIFUL TEAPOT WITH LID, A LIDDED CREAMER, A SUGAR BOWL (LID IS MISSING), 2 TEACUPS, 1 SAUCER AND 3 SIDEPLATES.
 
This is a gorgeous set of blue dragonware. The pieces are hand painted in vivid blue with fire-breathing dragons. The dragon on the tea pot is raised, and the spout and lid are both dragon heads. The dragons are done in brown, orange-red with white enamel for the beaded scales. The dragon heads on the teapot are gold.
 
MARKINGS KUTANI MOUNT FUJI IMAGE HANDPAINTED JAPAN
 
KUTANI:
Kutani is the Japanese word for Nine Valleys. It is the name of a village where pottery was made from 1655. Kutani is a place and not a factory or a single manufacturer. Kutani is a valley with several workshops called Kilns where these Japanese pieces were made. 

SIZES AND CONDITION:
LARGE LIDDED TEAPOT 24CM WIDE FROM SPOUT TO HANDLE 20CM HIGH UP TO LID FINIAL
LIDDED MILK CREAMER 19,0CM WIDE FROM SPOUT TO HANDLE 16,0CM HIGH
SUGAR BOWL 19,0CM WIDE FROM HANDLE TO HANDLE 10,5CM HIGH
2 x TEACUPS 12CM WIDE UP TO HANDLE 5,5CM HIGH
SAUCER 14CM DIAMETER 1,5CM HIGH
3 x SIDEPLATES 18,8CM DIAMETER 1,5CM HIGH
 
CONDITION: SUGAR BOWL IS MISSING ITS LID. ALL OTHER PIECES. NO CHIPS. NO CRACKS. HAND PAINTED ENAMEL AND MORIAGE ARTWORK STILL BEAUTIFUL ON ALL PIECES.

DRAGONWARE:
Dragonware is Japanese export porcelain decorated with dragons in a technique called moriage meaning "raised enamels". The effect has by some authors been likened by cake frosting. Dragonware dates from around the 1880s and later. The designs on dragonware often feature detailed depictions of dragons in various poses and colors, surrounded by clouds, flames, and other traditional Japanese motifs.
To create the raised enamels a slip (liquefied clay) is used, which is a thick mixture of clay and water. Also, moriage pottery is not glazed so it has a matte finish. On the earlier pieces as in before the 1920s some enamels and gilding occurs along the raised slip decoration.
In general the decoration becomes less ornate over time. Originally, the dragon decoration was wrapped around the whole object. A practice we can say ended by the time of WWII. If design is high end but only on one side of the object, then it is probably after WWII. From 1891 until 1921 pieces was required to be marked with the word Nippon, meaning Japan (Ni hon) after which it was replaced by Made in Japan. 

SATSUMA MORRIAGE:
Satsuma Ware was pottery from as early as the 1600s that originated from an old province of Japan that is now the western half of the southern island of Kyūshū. Moriage is a slip (liquefied clay) decoration of raised enamels. It occurs on Satsuma wares as early as circa 1890. By as early as 1873, workshops emnating items from Satsuma had sprung up in Kobe and Yokohama and in places such as Kutani, Kyoto and Tokyo.