In 1656, the Qing government prohibited external trade, including ceramics, on account of the civil conflict in China. As a result, the Dutch East India Company turned to the Japanese kilns in Arita to export ceramics to the West. Among the more exotic works being produced were these colourfully enamelled Kakiemon animals and birds, which were to embellish the grand houses of Europe.
This remarkable private collection, on view until 19 December, exemplifies this taste. Formed by Dr Avril and Andrew Somlyo from the 1970s onwards the collection is one of the finest outside Japan. The exhibition portrays the ‘William and Mary’ fashion for furnishing with porcelains in the late 17th century. The porcelains were kept in the cabinets of curiosities in the ladies’ dressing rooms or closets, where such rarities served as entertainments to while away the evenings. Many of the pieces have not been seen for 20 years or more, including the magnificent Kakiemon elephant formerly in the collection of Sir Harry Garner.