Ishizara with “Horse-Eye” Pattern

early 19th century

Not on view

Commonly known as nishime-zara (vegetable or herring stew plates), dishes like this one were widely used at inns and stew shops (nikai-ya) along the highway between Kyoto and Edo. Affordable and practical, they also found a place in ordinary households. A hallmark is their distinctive decoration, executed almost uniformly in underglaze iron and cobalt-blue pigments. The “horse-eye plates” (uma-no-me-zara) represent the final stage of this late Edo ceramic tradition.

Artwork Details

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馬の目皿
Title: Ishizara with “Horse-Eye” Pattern
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: early 19th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Stoneware with iron brown under transparent glaze (Seto ware)
Dimensions: H. 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm); Diam. 15 1/8 in. (38.4 cm)
Classification: Ceramics
Credit Line: The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
Object Number: 1975.268.617
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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