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I have a 12" Japanese plate that I believe is from the 17th or 18th century. The only problem is that it does not have any spur marks on the back. Do all older Japanese plates have spur marks or are there some that do not. Or perhaps the plate is Chinese done in Japanese style? Can you give me any comments regarding spur marks.
After the looks of the pictures there seems to be no reason to believe that the plate is not Japanese.
I have no way of being certain of its age though. From the look of the decoration it could very well be contemporary with the Chinese Kangxi period.
The Dutch East India Company requested porcelain made in the "old" style and this could be one of them since the panel border on the rim are suggesting the earlier Wanli or Kraak style.
The "bags" on the back side of the rim is of a typical Japanese light blue shade but does not fit with a 18th century date. On the front side rim decoration we have a full, dark red enamel, which is also very typically Japanese.
Virtually every larger piece of Japanese porcelain, which has been exported to the west in the 17th and 18th century has spur marks. Sometime halfway the 19th century, the techniques apparently improved and the spurs were no longer necessary. The charger described here is such an example. The color and decoration confirm a (possibly) early 19th century origin.
Jan-Erik Nilsson
(with some help from Thomas Cleij)
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