dish (containers)

Earthenware dish shaped like an abalone shell, in Satsuma ware. It is decorated in many colours on the interior with a scene of two samurai fighting with swords, under a plum tree. There are some applied elements as well as details highlighted in gold. The underside also reflects the shape of the abalone shell, with smaller sea shell models encrusted on the surface. It has a crackle glaze overall.

An old display label indicates that the dish is in the form of a sea snail shell (Haliotis). Haliotis is in fact abalone.

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database sometimes uses language taken from historical documents to help research, which may now appear outdated and even offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections or can suggest corrections to our information, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk