Occupied Japan Hand-painted Ceramic Duck Planter Vase Occupied Japan 1940s

Elegant ceramic duck planter vase with striking hand-painted details.

Vases and planters based in the natural world became popular early in the 20th century and this fascination continued through mid-century.  In the wake of the Second World War, U.S. troops occupied Japan from September 1945 through April 1952.  The Japanese ceramic industry was revitalized with aid from the United States during this time when manufacturers began producing decorative items for sale to the occupying American soldiers.  As a result, a thriving export business was born and these specially-marked decorative Japanese ceramics found their way into the homes of Americans through the early 1950s.

Mallards are “dabbling ducks", which is just the best name for a kind of duck, but simply meaning that they feed in the water by tipping forward and grazing on underwater plants.  Easily identifiable, male mallards have a dark, iridescent-green head, bright yellow bill, and a white-bordered, blue patch on the wing, similar to the stylized markings on this planter.

Ducks were all the decorating rage in the middle of the 20th century, popular as planters, vases, wall hangings and wall pockets, salt and pepper shakers, and tabletop figurines. 

This beautifully realistic duck planter will add an element of the natural world to any room in the house while evoking the middle years of the 20th century.