Bowl with Dragon Roundels

1897–1914

Seifū Yohei III 三代清風与平

(Japanese, 1851–1914)

Culture

Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)

Medium

Porcelain with underglaze blue, iron oxide, and yellow glaze

Measurements

8.1 x 18.2 cm (3 3/16 x 7 3/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of James and Christine Heusinger 2022.237

You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Seifū Yohei III was inspired by the Chinese mythical animals and motifs with magical symbolism—including clouds and fungi—that were common on porcelain objects made at Jingdezhen in China during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and then exported around the world.

Description

While this bowl has no box, it is attributed to Yohei III based in part on the style of the signature on its base. Below the rim, the bowl’s interior has a ring of clouds in underglaze blue. On the outside, bright yellow is combined with roundels of dragons capturing flaming jewels, painted under the glaze in blue, while the inside has a single dragon roundel in underglaze blue against a white ground. The work’s bold decorative scheme is more in keeping with what might be expected from the high-output studio of Miyagawa Kozan in Yokohama, whose products were designed for mass appeal. A similar bowl is in the collection of the Museum of Ceramic Art, Hyogo.