Carp, approx. 1880, Japan, porcelain, on loan from Fries Museum (collection Cornelis Bisschop).
At the end of the 19th century, Japan opened its borders and Europe was introduced to Japanese art. Japanese aesthetics hit like a bomb. A Parisian art dealer then published the magazine Le Japon Artistique. The Rozenburg pottery factory, like many other pottery factories of the time, subscribed to the new magazine. The pottery painters often copied from it literally.