The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 8, 2026

A stoneware vessel with slip appears almost as a chiseled rock, rising into two sharp, triangular peaks. A deep, central notch separates dark brown, matte facets from a sandy tan base and edge. Gritty, granular textures coat the lighter portions, while a jagged horizontal line cuts across the left side. Steep geometric planes and jagged edges taper toward the base, creating a sense of rugged, architectural height.

Black

2021

Shimizu Keiichi

(Japanese, b. 1962)
Japan, Reiwa period (2019–)
stoneware with slip (Tanba ware)
48.6 x 42.2 x 22.9 cm (19 1/8 x 16 5/8 x 9 in.)
Gift of Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley 2024.141
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Tanba is an area northwest of Kyoto, Japan, known for its ceramics.

Description

For his signature pieces, Shimizu Keiichi creates slab-formed vessels with linear design features, like this one, intended to contain flower arrangements. Shimizu uses both a wood-fired climbing kiln, or norborigama in Japanese, and a gas-fired kiln. He fires his works multiple times with slip made from a local whitish clay.
  • 2021–
    Collection of the Artist
    ?–2024
    (Joan B. Mirviss Ltd., Japanese Art, New York, NY, sold to Joe and Nancy Keithley)
    2024
    Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2024–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Tea Ceremony Modeling Exhibition. Tanabe Art Museum, Shimane, Japan (2021).
  • {{cite web|title=Black|url=false|author=Shimizu Keiichi|year=2021|access-date=08 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2024.141