The glaze on the figure is enameled with patches of red, black and gilt over pale violet enamel. The tail is curled around his body.
The glaze on the figure is enameled with patches of red, black and gilt over pale violet enamel. The tail is curled around his body.
A pair of Arita dogs in the collection of August the Strong (1670-1733), with very similar patches of enamels is illustrated in Eva Strober, La Maladie de Porcelain, East Asian Porcelain from the Collection of Augustus the Strong, Edition Leipzig, 2001, pp. 208 & 209
Other shapes of cats neko were made for export in the 17th and 18thcentury. It is believed that cats were introduced to Japan from India, likely via China, as guardians in Buddhist temples in the 6th century. They protected precious manuscripts from rodents.
An incense burner is the shape of a manekineko, from the Copeland collection and presently in the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum is illustrated by William Sargent in Copeland Collection: Chinese and Japanese Ceramic Figures, 2006, p. 258, no. 132.
This piece is called manekineko or “inviting cat”. It is said to have been inspired by the tale of a starving stray cat that was taken in by a poor monastery and fed: as it was licking its paws outside the gates, a passing official took the cat’s behavior for the customary gesture of welcome.
The official entered the monastery to pray. Later on, having become successful and wealthy, he returned and made the monastery a generous gift. Today, the manekineko is a mascot for shopkeepers, as it is believed to “beckon” good fortune and success in business.
There are a few known examples of this cat with a different enameling.
If you would like to be among the first to be notified of our new items, send us your email address
© All rights reserved
