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Hirado: Prince of Porcelains (Encyclopedia of Japanese Art Series)

Lawrence, Louis (author); King, David Hyatt (introduction)

"Book on one of Japan's greatest porcelain factories, which enjoyed enduring patronage from the Matsura family, Lords of Hirado Island. We can confidently identify a distinctive Hirado ware from the late 17th century to the 1920's. (.) The aim of this book is to display Hirado ware with its subtlety, charm and magnificence in broadly chronological order; to summarize the documentation, and to underpin these with information about Western collectors, and an Appendix (6) with all known Hirado's artist signatures. In my view the author succeeds in his aims; furthermore the details here can be trusted since the author has used over 20 years enthusiasm and worldwide experience to winnow out the many Hirado imitations.(.) For over 200 years, Hirado was a subsided enterprise where - at the higher levels - excellent artists and craftsmen created fine art for enlightened patrons. Hirado's house style is impressively uniform over generations and especially in the models, filled with surprises and delights. This is a Japanese equivalent to the official Chinese imperial/court porcelains; I hope you come to admire as I do, what the author has given us here." excerpt from the introduction by David Hyatt King.

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