Ember pot (hiire) in Dutch style

Maker(s)
Artist: Ogata Kenzan (1663-1743) Narutaki workshop (active 1699-1712)
Historical period(s)
Edo period, 1699-1712
Medium
White clay; white slip, iron and cobalt pigments, and enamels under transparent lead glaze; enamel over glaze
Dimensions
H x Diam: 9.3 × 13.3 cm (3 11/16 × 5 1/4 in)
Geography
Japan, Kyoto prefecture, Kyoto
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1902.80
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Ember pot (hiire)

Keywords
Edo period (1615 - 1868), Japan
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

The unglazed interior and size of this vessel suggest its use as an ember pot. The body shape, basically a cylinder with inverted median and flattened rim, is inspired by the late-Ming porcelain ware called undo-de. The decoration is intended to evoke a Western style, ostensibly Delft ware, which was imported into Japan from the early seventeenth century. The feathery motif, called aigrette, appears on a German dish in the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. (71.20), and it also appears on Delft tiles. The dots can be found on Delft ware and also on late-Ming porcelains brought into Japan in the early seventeenth century.

Published References
  • Richard L. Wilson. The Potter's Brush: The Kenzan Style in Japanese Ceramics. Exh. cat. Washington. cat. 39, p. 115.
  • Louise Allison Cort. The Kenzan Style in Japanese Ceramics. Watertown, Massachusetts, Autumn 2002. p. 169.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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