Bowl with a design of maple and cherry trees

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Explanation

A representative piece by Takahashi (Nin'ami) Dōhachi, a master potter of Kyoto ware who was active in the late Edo period. He was very skillful in producing copies of Kenzan's works, and this too is such an example. The bowl is decorated both on the exterior and interior with a cherry tree on one side and a maple tree on the other. The trunks and branches are executed in underglaze iron, and the flowers and leaves are expressed in beautiful overglaze enamels. The mouth is trimmed to resemble flower petals, and there are several large and small faintly red spots called yōhen (variational colors created accidentally in the kiln) both on the interior and exterior of the bowl. The bowl stands on a wari-kōdai, or a split foot, with a stamp mark reading "Dōhachi" inside the foot ring.