Japanese Kakiyomon Porcelain and its French Stylisations and Copies of the First Half of the Eighteenth Century. Stylistic, Technical and Technological Features

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to study the stylistic, technical and technological features of early French porcelain (first half of the eighteenth century) in the style of Japaneseism, namely stylisations of Japanese porcelain in the Kakiyomon style and its comparison with original Japanese products. Research methodology. The work uses such methods as analytical, comparative art history, historical and genetic, which allowed us to consider the above-mentioned issues in a holistic manner and obtain scientifically sound research results. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first time an attempt was made to consider such a phenomenon as stylistic borrowings and stylisations of Japanese kakiyomon ceramics in French porcelain art of the Rococo period. Conclusions. The research has allowed us to identify the key characteristics of the original style and colour of kakiyomon and European analogues, which had a number of differences. The analysis of French porcelain production in the first half of the eighteenth century revealed different levels of interpretation of the Kakiyomon style. As a result of the study, it was possible to structure European products into five groups, depending on their similarity to the original Japanese porcelain. The quantitative analysis of the surviving objects, where European kakiyomon wares significantly outnumber Japanese originals, demonstrates the scale of this cultural phenomenon and its decisive role in the development of European decorative and applied arts of the eighteenth century.