“A really nice Meiji Period Imari vase in the 12-to-16-inch size range,” he adds, “can retail anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 in today’s market.”

The most prized pieces among Western collectors are the Imari that were produced by the Koransha kiln from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. Although overlooked by many Western collectors, these are the most valuable at auctions today.

Imari porcelain often features intricate designs of animals, flowers, patterns or symbolic objects. Examine the piece for signs of age. General signs of age in a piece of porcelain include tiny, cracklike marks called crackling, deterioration or scratching of the glaze, and faded or discolored design.

Imari is a style of porcelain named after the Japanese port from which it was shipped to the West, beginning in the late 17th century. Imari is a style of porcelain named after the Japanese port from which it was shipped to the West, beginning in the late 17th century.

The origins of Japan’s prized Imari ware can be traced back four centuries to Kyushu, when a potter discovered the white kaolin clay essential to producing porcelain in the town of Arita. Arita potters were soon making porcelain and shipping it from nearby Imari Port to other parts of Japan.

Typically Imari ware (in the English use of the term) is decorated in underglaze blue, with red, gold, black for outlines, and sometimes other colours, added in overglaze. In the most characteristic floral designs most of the surface is coloured, with “a tendency to overdecoration that leads to fussiness”.

These refined, unusually high quality Kakiemon and Nabeshima Imari pieces are the rarest and most expensive of all at auction today.

How To Identify Imari Porcelain. Chinese Imari is typically characterized by a combination of blue, red and gold. Details are sometimes in black and green enamels and the porcelain tends to be whiter and brighter than its Japanese counterpart.

Japanese Imari is also characterized by its colorful elaborate style, often featuring white and blue backgrounds, accented with a fuller, more dark red on top. There are two predominant underglazed styles of Imari porcelain that are easily recognizable, by their pattern and by the use of certain colors.

porcelain
: a multicolored Japanese porcelain usually characterized by elaborate floral designs.

Antique Japanese Imari porcelain bowl on teakwood stand, Circa 1900. Dimensions with stand: H: 6 inches D: 10 1/2 inches. Stunning antique 19th century Japanese “Imari” porcelain plate on stand. 18″ diameter plate. (21″ high on stand).

Beautiful Imari Porcelain charger with painted with vibrant colors of navy, orange, green and red. Very fine quality! This large bowl abounds with graceful imagery and is in fine condition given its age. Its color remain firm and vibrant. 19th century, hand painted porcelain Imari vases, with gilt bronze mounts.

The bottle is 2″ wide, 2 3/8″ hight and 1/2″ deep. A lovely pair of petite, 19th century, hand painted, parcel-gilt, porcelain Imari vases on detailed, ormolu, tripod stands featuring lion’s heads and paw feet. A lovely plate typical of the handsome and appealing Imari style.

An antique Japanese Imari charger offers porcelain construction with well having hand painted stylized floral decoration with surrounding rim with reserves of garden scenes, en verso…