Square bottle with stopper (one of a pair)
Japanese, for export market (Hizen ware, Imari type)
The form of these bottles is based upon Dutch glass examples made for storing liquids. Potters in both Japan and China were quick to copy Western forms in order to make their export wares more easily saleable in European markets. While Japanese porcelains were imported into Europe in increasing numbers in the early eighteenth century, they nevertheless remained luxury objects and were prized in part due to the durability of porcelain, which was only beginning to be manufactured in Europe at this time.
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