109. Pair of Oribe gourd-shaped footed serving dishes

109. Pair of Oribe gourd-shaped footed serving dishes

Larger (on left in pictures).  Gray clay, green and brown glazes; most of base left unglazed. Weight: 352 g (12.5 oz). Dimensions of rim:  15.7 x 13.3 cm (6-1/4 x 5-1/4 in). Height (overall): 4.7 cm (1-7/8 in), height of walls: 4.2 cm (1-5/8 in).

Smaller  (on right in pictures).  Yellow clay, green and brown glazes; most of base left unglazed. Weight: 348 g (12.5 oz). Dimensions of rim: 15.7 x 12.6 cm (6-1/4 x 5 in). Height (overall): 4.2 cm (1-5/8 in); height of walls: 3.7 cm (1-1/2 in).

The same potter made these, but there are differences in the color of the clay, the size, and the decoration. Both sit on three feet made of small rolls of clay that were pressed into the base and positioned at the top of the gourd and at the two widest points along the sides (if the top is 12:00 o’clock, the other two are at 4:30 and 7:30). The surface of the base was marked by several passes of the bamboo spatula, leaving lines running from top to bottom. The artist’s mark, a bottle gourd (Japanese: hyōtan) with the “seal” forms of characters inside, was stamped into the center of the base (see the last photo). Unfortunately the impression is too light to read, and I have been unable to identify the potter. On both, the edges of the base where it meets the walls was cut away to make a beveled edge. The walls rise more or less vertically to the rim. The body of each is shaped like a bottle gourd. The interior bottoms are strongly marked with the weave of the cloth (cheesecloth?) used when pressing the clay.

The two ends of each piece were dipped in the thick green glaze characteristic of Oribe-ware. These green areas delineate the picture fields on the interiors and the exterior side walls. A brown slip was used to draw the decorations. That on the smaller piece appears more reddish, but that may be the color of the clay showing through. On each side two sets of brown lines of varying heights, with the longer lines on the left, were drawn. The rims are also coated with this brown glaze. A brown line parallel to the rim was drawn on the inside walls around the circumference. On the interior bottom of each piece are two chrysanthemums and a series of crisscrossing lines representing a fence. The green glaze was added after the decorations were drawn. The green glaze was also allowed to drip down the sides in the characteristic tear-drop shapes. The basic color of the clay serves as the background on both pieces, gray in the case of the larger one, yellow on the smaller one. The external walls of the pieces, including the beveled areas, and the areas on the base with the feet were coated with a clear or luster glaze.

The bottle gourd has strong cultural resonances in Japan. Playful versions of serving dishes are common in Oribe-ware. The seller couldn’t supply any information about these, but they are recent pieces. The differences are curious.  For more on Oribe-ware and other examples, see below.

Purchased from BkkPickerBkk in Bangkok, Thailand, May 2021.