Design for a Sugar Bowl

This watercolor design depicts a porcelain sugar bowl with cover, rendered in the Japonisme style that captivated Western manufacturers in the late nineteenth century. The composition showcases a tropical landscape—palm trees silhouetted against a golden sky—painted across the vessel's rounded body in blue, green, and ochre. The design reflects the aesthetic exchange between Japan and America during this period, when Japanese artistic principles influenced decorative arts production. Noritake, founded in 1904 but operating under earlier names, became a major exporter of hand-painted porcelain. This archival sketch demonstrates the careful planning involved in ceramic decoration, where design preceded execution on the kiln.