VOC plate Arita late Edo period (1) - Imari - Japan - late 18th / 19th century

This very rare plate is made in Arita. No similar plate was found in the scarcely available consulted literature. The hand-painted decoration shows a Dutch sailing ship with two Europeans, including governor Duff and his dog, and next to that the VOC sign in the centre. The unique plate is made for the national, Japanese market in the period between 1780 and 1840. The Japanese were very interested in the exotic Dutch in Nagasaki at the time. Menno Fitski (curator of the Rijksmuseum) and prof. Jorg wrote about this type of plates. Both agree with the above description, based on the pictures they were sent.