Kutani Studies Series : Gilt-Bronze-Mounted Kutani Vol. III

GILT-BRONZE-MOUNTED KUTANI
Japanese Ceramics and European Decorative Metalwork in the Nineteenth Century

This richly illustrated volume examines the transformation of Japanese Kutani ceramics through the addition of European gilt-bronze mounts during the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The study considers each mounted ceramic as a composite object whose ceramic body and metalwork may have different origins, makers, and dates. It places these objects within the broader development of Japonisme, international trade, European decorative arts, and the furnishing market between 1851 and 1915.

Particular attention is given to :

the European tradition of mounting Asian porcelain ;
the expansion of Japanese ceramic exports during the Meiji period ;
bronze manufacturers, mount makers, importers, dealers, and retailers ;
the role of Universal Exhibitions in documenting the mounted-ceramics trade ;
construction methods, attachment systems, and later alterations ;
marks, labels, and the difficulties of attribution ;
the commercial positioning of Japanese and European mounted ceramics ;
three marked Kutani objects examined as detailed case studies.

The research combines exhibition reports, commercial directories, auction and department-store catalogs, archival documents, marks, labels, and the technical examination of documented objects. An illustrated catalog presents selected mounted Kutani ceramics together with French and eighteenth-century comparative examples. Additional plates bring together handles, feet, bases, rims, and borders, revealing the remarkable diversity of European mounting practices.

Rather than attributing these objects on the basis of resemblance alone, the book distinguishes carefully between documented evidence, technical observation, and interpretation. It reconstructs the extensive network of manufacturers and commercial establishments through which Japanese ceramics were transformed into decorative furnishings for European interiors.

The book is available in hardcover or paperback from :

Amazon : [https://www.amazon.com/Gilt-Bronze-Mounted-Kutani-Decorative-Metalwork-Nineteenth/dp/B0HJDH857G] also UK, DE, FR, ES, IT, NL, PL, SE, BE, IE, CA, AU

Amazon Japan : [https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Gilt-Bronze-Mounted-Kutani-Decorative-Metalwork-Nineteenth/dp/B0HJDFC4RT/]

The Kutani Studies Series will continue with additional volumes devoted to Kutani akae, Meiji Kutani, Gilt-Bronze Mounted Kutani, and other specialized aspects of Kutani ceramics.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to the collectors, researchers, museum curators, artists, and friends who generously shared documents, photographs, discussions, and encouragement throughout this research.

Georges Bouvier
Kutani Ceramic Website
www.kutani.org