Japanese Antique Unusual Blue Glaze Abura-zara (oil plate)

An excellent antique Japanese Seto ware abura-zara (oil plate), also known as an andon-zara, dating from the late Edo Period (19th century). Thickly and robustly potted from classic Seto stoneware, this functional piece of folk art (mingei) features a flat, circular bed with a distinctive upright, shallow rim. The plate was originally designed to sit at the base of a wooden oil-lamp lantern (andon) to catch dripping oil from the wicks. The face is striking for its brilliant, vivid turquoise-green or copper-teal glaze, which is covered in a dense, finely crackled network. It is dynamically decorated with five roundels depicting stylized chrysanthemum blossoms (kiku mon), each meticulously detailed with fine radiating petals in underglaze iron brushwork. A fascinating feature of its firing process is a triangular kiln-stacking scar visible in the center, where another vessel rested during production, leaving behind a raw patch of stoneware that perfectly embodies the wabi-sabi spirit. The reverse side reveals a wide, unglazed central base showing the coarse, sandy texture and earthy, toasted coloration of the natural fired Seto clay. Traces of a pale yellowish ash glaze run down the outer rim, accented by dramatic drips of the brilliant turquoise glaze overflowing from the face. Age: Edo Period Dimensions: 1 1/4” high x 9 1/4” wide