The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Incense Burner

1893–1914

Seifū Yohei III

(Japanese, 1851–1914)
Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)
Porcelain with creamy white glaze and molded design and floral openwork silver lid
height with lid: 11.4 cm (4 1/2 in.); Diameter: 11 cm (4 5/16 in.)
Gift of James and Christine Heusinger 2022.179
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

This cylindrical incense burner has a distinctive translucent, creamy glaze over an ivory-colored clay body.

Description

Yohei III made incense burners in a wide variety of designs and styles. The body and glaze of this one are taihakuji, or “great white porcelain,” an important early invention Yohei III devised in 1872. The burner has rounded, cabriole legs, resembling tiny table legs, attached to the exterior and the faintest decorative band around the bottom.

Lids were produced outside the studio by metalwork specialists. For this incense burner, they created a floral-patterned silver lid.
  • ?–2022
    James and Christine Heusinger, Berea, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2022–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Maezaki, Shinya and Sinéad Vilbar. Colors of Kyoto: The Seifū Yohei Ceramic Studio. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 35, pp. 108–109
  • {{cite web|title=Incense Burner|url=false|author=Seifū Yohei III|year=1893–1914|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2022.179