Artwork Page for Tea Storage Jar

Details / Information for Tea Storage Jar

Tea Storage Jar

茶壺

mid- to late 1600s

Nonomura Ninsei 野々村仁清

(Japanese, active 1640s–90s)
Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium
Stoneware with white glaze (Shigaraki style)
Measurements
height: 28.3 cm (11 1/8 in.); Diameter: 28.7 cm (11 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1978.6
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

This jar may be considered an example of the aesthetic known as kireisabi, or refined rusticity.

Description

In this tea storage jar, Nonomura Ninsei reinterpreted a Shigaraki stoneware—made to hold agricultural products and known for its warm orange color, asymmetrical round forms, and irregular natural ash glazes—to produce a more refined piece that would appeal to tea masters seeking a touch of rusticity. In Japanese tea culture, hanging scroll paintings or calligraphy are placed in the tokonoma, or viewing alcove, for participants to admire and discuss along with the utensils used in the gathering. The scrolls are typically paired with vessels containing seasonal floral arrangements.
A bulbous, reddish-brown stoneware jar tapers to a narrow base. Four U-shaped handles encircle the wide shoulder beneath a short, flared rim. Horizontal ridges and pitted indentations texture the coarse surface. A thick, opaque white glaze blankets the top, cascading down the sides in irregular vertical streaks. This creamy drip bleeds into the rough, earthy clay, emphasizing the vessel's rugged, organic silhouette and hand-formed character.

Tea Storage Jar

mid- to late 1600s

Nonomura Ninsei

(Japanese, active 1640s–90s)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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