34. M5200
£19,500
Description
Japanese porcelain celadon glazed ewer and cover with ovoid body, tall slender neck, hexagonal fluted spout and strap handle, with upright loop for attachment, covered overall on the base and interior with an even celadon olive glaze, the thin unglazed biscuit foot rim revealing the body, the drop-in cover surmounted by a bird-form finial.
10 inches, 25.4 cm high.
Kawase Shinobu, 1997.
Fitted wood box, described as ‘celadon water ewer’, signed and with artist’s seal, Shinobu, on the interior of the cover.
Provenance & Additional Information
- Included in the 12th solo exhibition at Kandori, The New Otani Hotel, Tokyo, titled Haku-Gyoku-sen (Sharp White Jade), 1997, which consisted of related ewers mostly in cream-white glaze and cups.
- This ewer is considered to be one of the greatest masterpieces ever produced by Kawase Shinobu and was included by the Musée Tomo, The Kanjitsu Kikuchi Memorial Tomo Museum of Art, Tokyo, in their retrospective exhibition of Beyond Tradition – Seeking His Serene Blue: Celadon Works by Kawase Shinobu, 2011, illustrated in the catalogue, no. 41, p. 25.
- From the collection of Mr. & Mrs. Eiji Obuchi, Ninomiya-machi, Kanagawa-ken, Japan, March 2021.
- Another white crackle glazed ewer was included in the solo exhibition at Ginza Kurodatohen, titled Ginjo no Utuwa (Utensils on Precious Tray), 2009 and illustrated in the hardback catalogue, no. 27. Only two other related ewers are known and were specially ordered by Mr. K. Aso of Aso Arts, Tokyo and by Manyo-do, Tokyo, although both of those pieces reputedly have kiln faults o n the spout. The suggestion is that although the artist pays meticulous care and attention to the creation of these works, it is lucky if they come out of the kiln without any issues.
- The ‘Master of Celadon’ has expressed that the pieces produced for that exhibition are amongst the most elegant that he has ever made in his artistic life. The Chinese character for the word ‘sharp’ has multiple meanings and could be interpreted as ‘pinnacle’ or ‘precise’.
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