Brilliant porcelain across the Pacific Ocean – Old Noritake: Beauty Bridging East & West

[Inscription] Maruki stamp (registered in UK) 

[Year of Manufacture] 1906 – 1921

In high fashion during the Art Deco period, one can easily imagine that the color black often seen in cubism or fauvism was derived from African ebony masks or the stage costumes of Josephine Baker. However, this was also a color that was produced by combining the jet black frequently used by Jean Dunand or Eileen Gray with sharply contrasting patches of vermillion or gold. The designs of the pieces in this set also appeared in Kottler’s exhibition design book, Noritake Art Deco Porcelains (1982). Because the handles and other details of these pieces are painted in jet black, which contrasts with its vermillion lacquer-like red, this demitasse set presents a powerful and very Japanese visual impression.