The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 15, 2026

A creamy white glazed porcelain vessel features a cylindrical body resting on three small, curved feet. Two horizontal ridges wrap around the middle, framing a delicate band of incised floral motifs and dots. A dark metal dome lid with an openwork design rests atop the vessel. Its curved bars radiate from a textured center, mimicking a flower. The smooth finish contrasts with the dark, intricate metalwork crowning the piece.

Incense Burner with Flowers and Dots

1893–1914

Seifū Yohei III

(Japanese, 1851–1914)
Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)
Porcelain with creamy white translucent glaze and molded and incised design with openwork silver lid in shape of flower
height with lid: 8.5 cm (3 3/8 in.); Diameter: 8.5 cm (3 3/8 in.)
Gift of James and Christine Heusinger 2022.180
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

This incense burner has floral motifs on both the lid and the burner.

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 that involved the combination of a distinctive translucent, creamy glaze over an ivory-colored clay body.

The silver lid is meant to look like a single flower. The vessel has tapering legs with a combined curvilinear and geometric design; the bands encircling the middle have simple, incised flower motifs alternating with single dots.
  • ?–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. 36, pp. 108–109
  • {{cite web|title=Incense Burner with Flowers and Dots|url=false|author=Seifū Yohei III|year=1893–1914|access-date=15 April 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2022.180