A Japanese Imari double-gourd- shaped R(hineland) W(ine) bottle

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Arita, late 17th/early 18th century

 

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H. 25 x diam. 12 cm

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The bottle is decorated in underglaze blue, iron-red and gold with peonies, chrysanthemums and two flying birds. On the lower gourd a circle with the letters RW, in gold over a red ribbon, without dots, which most probably stands for ‘Rijnlandsche Wijn’. Double-gourd bottles decorated in blue and white are not uncommon, but Imari-decorated bottles of this shape are scarce.