Bowl decorated with fish and a dragon
onbekend, Japan, second half 19th century
earthenware,
19 cm
The Mesdag Collection, The Hague
The decoration on this bowl shows carp and other fish swimming in a circle. Its style is similar to that of Japanese prints from the same period: the fish are shown in close-up against a plain, single-colour background.
On the bottom of the bowl is a writhing Japanese dragon (the god of water). Probably the bowl was originally intended to hold goldfish.