The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 17, 2025

Vase with Peonies

1900–1914
(Japanese, 1851–1914)
Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)
Porcelain with molded and carved design and pink-infused cream glaze
height: 17.8 cm (7 in.); Diameter: 12.1 cm (4 3/4 in.)
Gift of James and Christine Heusinger 2022.198
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

One of Seifū Yohei III’s most visually impactful techniques was to combine complex low-relief designs in clay surrounded by diffused underglaze blue or pink, which he then covered with a transparent or translucent glaze.

Description

This flower vase has a creamy white glaze infused with pink. Sadly, the box has been lost, so we cannot know how it was described by the studio. However, through comparison with other works, it is possible to surmise that the work can be categorized as kanpakuji with in-glaze pink. A single huge blossom shoots up into the widest part of the vessel, near the top, so it will be visible from a distance. If this design is displayed in a space with a decorative alcove located some distance away from the entrance, even at a remove, it can announce the taste of its owner and immediately please a guest. On the other side of the vase, two butterflies, their wings overlapping, flit through the sky.
  • ?–2022
    James and Christine Heusinger, Berea, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2022–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Vilbar, Sinead. "Colors of Kyoto: Modern ceramics of Japan.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 63, no. 2 (2023): 14-17. Reproduced: P. 15; Mentioned: P. 16.
    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. 54, pp. 132–135
    Goodall, Hollis. "Seifū Yohei III: Master of Finesse." Impressions: The Journal of the Japanese Art Society of America 45, part 2 (2024): 178-193. Mentioned: p. 186; Reproduced: p. 189 (fig. 7)
  • Colors of Kyoto: The Seifū Yohei Ceramic Studio. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 19, 2023-March 10, 2024).
    Japanese Gallery 235 Rotation - July 2017-January 2018. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 15, 2017-January 2, 2018).
  • {{cite web|title=Vase with Peonies|url=false|author=Seifū Yohei III|year=1900–1914|access-date=17 May 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2022.198