The first Japanese porcelains were painted with underglaze cobalt blue, known as 'old blue-and-white' ware (ko-sumetsuke). But by about 1640, overglaze enamels had been added to the palette. It is generally accepted that overglaze enamels were introduced to Kyushu from Kyoto rather than from China. One reason for this assumption is the use of a vibrant overglaze blue--seen here on these figurines--in both Kyoto ware and Japanese porcelains, a color not found in Chinese ceramics of that period.

The majority of Japanese porcelains are classified as Arita wares, based on the location of their production. Arita wares are traditionally subdivided into Imari, Kakiemon, and Nabeshima styles (although this system is currently under revision). These sculptures of two standing women, painted in the Kakiemon-style palette of pale overglaze enamels, are representative of a popular type of porcelain figure produced in the 17th and 18th centuries. Many examples are found in Europeancollections. The beautiful woman (bijin) theme invoked here was a staple of Japanese ukiyo ('floating world') paintings and woodblocks. In both sculptures, the women wear clothing and a hairstyle popular in Japan during the Kanbun era (1661-1673), when this coiffure and the loose outer robe and black sash were worn by courtesans. The hairstyle, with the hair pulled up and wound around an ornamental pin, is believed to have originated at the court. Their red and white inner kimonos are decorated with a scrolling vine motif, commonly called karakusa or Tang arabesque because it is believed to have derived from 8th-century Chinese traditions. On one figure the background is red and the arabesque is white, while on the other the colors are reversed. The outer coat of one woman is decorated with wisteria while that of the other woman is painted with chrysanthemums that have fallen on swirling waves.

With the exception of the designs of their clothing, these two figures appear to be identical. The bodies of these sculptures were produced using press molds, and the heads and hands wereslip cast for greater delicacy of modeling.

Porcelain figurines of beautiful women, lion-dogs, and ducks were exported to Europe as exotic examplesof the art of Japan, and it is unlikely that their imagery was well understood there. This is particularly true in the sculptures of women, which were often identified as men in early Western publications on Japanese porcelains.