Were these plates used for dining?

Most of the larger chargers and painted plaques listed here were produced strictly for display on sideboards, walls or cabinets. Their size, precious overglaze enamels and signature panels mark them out as decorative works rather than utilitarian tableware. Smaller Imari plates saw functional use in their period, but surviving examples in fine condition are typically preserved for collection and display.

How do I distinguish Imari from Satsuma ware?

Imari porcelain relies on a hard, resonant white body decorated with a distinctive palette of underglaze cobalt blue, iron red and generous amounts of gold leaf. The designs are often busy and botanical or geometric. Satsuma ware utilises an earthenware body covered in a finely crackled ivory glaze, typically painted with detailed figurative scenes and muted enamels often associated with specific workshop signatures.

What is the difference between earthenware and porcelain?

Earthenware is a porous, lower-fired pottery body that requires a glaze to become impermeable to liquids. It forms the base for tin-glazed Delftware and Art Deco tubelined chargers. Porcelain is fired at much higher temperatures until the clay vitrifies into a dense, non-porous material that often rings when struck and allows for thin, refined wall construction.