Pictures from Japan

This is the high time to set a door ajar to amazing Japanese porcalain  This porcelain is deligthful thanks to its decorations, but also thanks to variety of shapes. The majority of thimbles you can see below is a piece of art expressed in inconspicuous forms. Hand-painted with tiny brushes they enrapture with beauty and subtlety of patterns and indisputable mastery of work.

The first thimble from the Country of Cherry Blossoms in my collection has been a minimalistic "cupcake" thimble (porcelain thimble Cake, Noritake - Japan). The thimble is devoid of decorations - except for a golden pigment on the edge - actually, but it fascinates with its characteristic shape.

I have also two extraordinary thimbles made by Fukagawa manufacture. Both are hand-painted using an original techinique which makes pictures a little bit fuzzy (porcelain thimble Butterfly, Fukagawa - Japan, porcelain thimble Iris, Fukagawa - Japan).

Iris' flowers is one of the most popular floristic motives, not only in Japanese pattern-designing, but in other coutries as well. The second Japanese factory using this motive, but in completely other style, is Kiyomasa (porcelain thimble Irises, Kiyomasa - Japan). This thimble is glistening. There are many gildings on it, but these are very subtle and we do not have an impression of splendour thanks to it.

Next thimble is the specimen called mysteriously "a kohshi flower" (porcelain thimble Kohshi flower, Yachiyo - Japan). It is unique with regard for its shape (hexagon base), but interesting also bacause of its beautiful, hand-painted decoration. The sides are decorated alternatively with a symetric pattern and a picture of bird of paradise sitting on a red flower.

Among Japanese porcelain decorations must be a place for animals. My two, favourite thimbles are: the first - with Mandarin ducks (porcelan thimble Mandarin ducks, Akemi - Japan) and the second - with panda bear family (porcelain thimble Panda family, Marutoyo - Japan). Both have untypical shapes. They are quite small and their tops are crowned by convex discs. The thimble with bird's motive has also a choppy edge.

One of the most original thimbles, not only among Japanese ones, but in a whole collection, is a black Damascene thimble (porcelain thimble Damascene, Moriken - Japan). It is charactetistic thanks to very striking, gold picture against the black background. Particular brush strokes are clearly visible and the whole painting consists from very little lines only and the effect is awesome.

One of my favourites is also a thimble with Japanese ladies (porcelain thimble Japanese ladies, Rozan - Japan). Quite big diameter increases a side area and it was possible to put few, very tiny pictures presenting Japanese ladies. It is hard to say if it is just a fashion show or maybe something more , but regardless of the author's intentions the thimble makes a great impression.

I hope I have shown you the beauty of thimbles colleting a little bit. Just look at those little pictures,  knowing that they are hand-painted and that dimensions of the thimble above are: 2,5 x 2,2 cm.

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