A TALL AND RARE JAPANESE KAKIEMON-STYLE EWER EDO PERIOD, C.1660-80 The bulbous body with a slender neck and a curved handle to the side, decorated in underglaze blue, red, black and green enamels; the body painted with pavilions in a mountainous river landscape, surrounded by luxuriant gardens and with large palm trees behind them; the neck embellished with further blooms and formal floral designs, the handle with karakusa scrolls, 26.7cm. Cf.C J A Jörg, Fine & Curious, Japanese Export Porcelain in Dutch Collections, p.161, no.181, for a closely related ewer in the Groninger Museum, Groningen. The author notes that the combination of a Chinese Transitional-style landscape in underglaze blue and the enamelled decoration is very unusual, and it places this piece between the early Japanese enamels and the developing Imari and Kakiemon styles. He also notes that no other comparable piece seems to be recorded.