A rare Japanese enameled and gilt blue and white-decorated Arita porcelain jar Second half 17th century The globular jar with vertical neck, body decorated with three lobed reserves depicting extensive landscapes, heightened with iron-red, yellow, green, gold and aubergine enamels, against a peony ground with gold scrollwork, the base with bands of lappets, the neck with encased square border. NOTE: No other jars of this complex decorative scheme have been located, but aspects have parallels to other works of the 1660s to 1690s. For a dish with exotic birds among rockwork and foliage in a palette of muted yellow, greens, blue and black, see Barry Davies Oriental Art, Ko-Imari Porcelain from the Collection of Oliver Impey, London 1997, p.157, no. 88; for a more attenuated jar, circa 1670, with similar form of lobed reserve, see ibid, p. 29, no. 8. For a dish, circa 1660-1670, less refined in execution, with aubergine, green, blue and yellow enamels with black, see Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art et al, Exhibition of Imari and Ko-Kutani Ware, Saga, 1987, p.52, no.39. The globular form of the jar relates most closely to the wares of the 1660s -1670s, such as the yellow, iron-red and green-enameled jar with slightly flared collar illustrated in John Ayers et al, Porcelain for Palaces, London, 1990, p. 118, fig 73. H: 11 1/4 in., 28.6 cm