mid- to late 1600s
(Japanese, active 1600s)
Stoneware with white glaze (Shigaraki style)
Diameter: 28.7 cm (11 5/16 in.); Overall: 28.3 cm (11 1/8 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1978.6
This jar may be considered an example of the aesthetic known as kireisabi, or refined rusticity.
Shigaraki ware is recognized for its warm orange color, asymmetrical round forms, and irregular natural ash glazes. These features were largely unintentional on the part of their makers, whose principal goal was a functional jar. Some tea masters employed Shigaraki vessels as found objects—items appropriated from one context for use in a new one—manifesting effortless and imperfect beauty. In Nonomura Ninsei’s take on Shigaraki, though, careful symmetry is used as a backdrop for deliberately subtle and pleasing deviations such as would appeal to a tea master interested in refined rusticity.
The information about this object, including provenance information, is based on historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on objects is an ongoing process, but the information about this object may not reflect the most current information available to CMA. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.
To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.
Request a digital file from Image Services that is not available through CC0, a detail image, or any image with a color bar. If you have questions about requesting an image, please email imageservices@clevelandart.org.