Pair of Japanese porcelain figurines, made in the city of Arita, large size h. 44 cm, 18th century.

The polychrome glazed porcelain of the Kakiemon type, of superior quality to the Imari type, is treated with two firings, the first for the body and the second for the very thin glaze, which precede the overglaze glaze. The particular beauty of Kakiemon porcelain lies in the refined milky white colour of the body and the painted ornamentation in orange-red, grass green and azure blue glazes with discreet touches of yellow, turquoise and gold. From the shade of red, which is that of a ripe kaki, comes the nickname Kakiemon given to the family of Sakaida Kizaemon: potters active in Arita, in the Hizen province of southern Japan, whose earliest attributable works date from 1670-1680.