Untitled

Unknown

ca. 1625 · Bizen pottery; lacquer cover · Asian Art

The potter achieved the deformed, asymmetrical shape of this water jar by altering the soft clay after forming the basic shape on a potter's wheel. Such an effect was purposefully created to coincide with an aesthetic associated with the tea ceremony which favored somewhat imperfect forms. The lacquer lid was custom-made for the oddly shaped vessel. Lacquer was a precious substance in Japan, and the contrast between the glossy black lid and the earthy body of the vessel would have been much appreciated within the context of the tea room. In the tea ceremony, this vessel was used as a mizusashi, a container that holds freshwater to rinse the tea bowls or fill the kettle.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1625

Medium

Bizen pottery; lacquer cover

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1925