Dish with Design of Maple Leaves in a Stream 19th century

Ogata Kenzan fashioned this earthenware dish, decorated with maple leaves and stream designs, in eighteenth-century Japan. The Kenzan style, established by Ogata Kenzan and his brother Ogata Kōrin, epitomized the aesthetic sensibilities of the merchant class, who rose to prominence during the Edo period. This dish embodies that aesthetic through its celebration of natural motifs and its integration of painterly designs onto functional ceramics. The flowing stream, rendered with dynamic brushwork, and the maple leaves, colored in autumnal hues, evoke a sense of seasonal change and natural beauty. Kenzan's work, deeply rooted in the cultural and economic shifts of his time, challenged the established norms of the art world, dominated by the aristocracy. As historians, we can turn to archival materials such as merchant records, and artistic manifestos to deepen our understanding. The dish is not just a vessel but a reflection of the changing social values of Edo period Japan.