Spoon, Japan, 1950s to 1960s
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1950s to 1960s
Spoon, Japan, 1950s to 1960s is an object recorded by Victoria and Albert Museum, dated 1950s to 1960s. The museum's brief description reads: Spoon, painted enamels on porcelain, 1950s-60s, porcelain from Japan, decorated at Yuet Tung China Works, Hong Kong.
Museum description: Spoon, made of porcelain, painted with polychrome enamels and gilding, depicting peaches against foliage. Printed mark on base. The museum record gives material recorded as porcelain, enamel, gilt; measurements Length 14 cm; place associated: Japan, Hong Kong. These details come from the holding museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Yuet Tung China Works (粵東瓷廠) was established in Hong Kong in 1947, on the basis of the first porcelain factory in Hong Kong that opened in 1928. It specialised in painted enamels on porcelain in the brightly decorated Guangcai (Guangzhou colours) tradition. Yuet Tung is currently located in Kowloon Bay Industrial Centre where it still sells old stock dated mostly to the 1980s onwards. Yuet Tung China Works is the last of its kind in Hong Kong of a once-flourishing industry. A.C.F. or Ah Chow Factory (Ah Chow is the Cantonese for Asia) was another company that decorated porcelain in Hong Kong that has now disappeared. This piece is an example of the continuation of the Guangcai tradition in the 20th century after production in mainland China was badly affected by the Second Sino-Japanese War and subsequent instability. Although the painted porcelain industry was suspended in Hong Kong during the Japanese Occupation from 1941 to 1945, it was able to recover and resume production, eventually replacing Guangzhou as the centre of Guangcai production. Wares were exported to Europe, United States and Southeast Asia. In addition, this piece shows that producers in Hong Kong were importing blank porcelain not only from Jingdezhen but also from Japan. Following the Korean War (1950-3), the US government imposed an embargo on Mainland China and goods from Hong Kong were required to be free of any Chinese raw materials for importation, hence the use of marks stating that pieces were…
Physical characteristics
- Material
- porcelain, enamel, gilt
- Dimensions
- Length 14 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Porcelain, painted enamels, gilding, transfer printing
- Place recorded
- Japan, Hong Kong
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- Y. T. Decorated in Hong Kong. Made in Japan
Identification
- Museum object name
- Spoon
- Museum object number
- FE.5-2017
- Museum system number
- O1377000
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm materials, dimensions, maker and wider type against the museum record and a specialist reference.