201. HAMADA Junri, 1948-2022, black Oribe yunomi

201. HAMADA Junri  浜田純理, 1948-2022, black Oribe yunomi

 

For Hamada, see item 200. 

If the following description sounds the same as that in the preceding entry, it’s because both pots follow the same design. The yunomi is simply larger.

Reddish- brown clay. Glazed in white and black, with dark red colors showing through on the unglazed spots. Weight: 242 g (8.6 oz). Height: 7.9 cm (3-1/8 in). Diameter of rim: 7.3 cm (2-7/8 in); of foot ring, 5.6 cm (2-3/16 in); maximum: 9.5 cm (2-3/4 in); minimum: 6.6 cm (2-5/8 in). Capacity: 180 ml (6.5 fl oz).

This sits on the roughly circular foot ring. The foot ring is 0.6 cm (1/4 in) high on the outside. The inside has been hollowed; the hollow is deepest just inside the ring, with a gentle mound toward the ccnter. Above the foot ring, the walls move outward and upward at a shallow obtuse angle (110 degrees) in a straight line to a height of 1.3 cm (1/2 in) to reach the maximum width of the cup. Above this they move inward in a shallow convex arc to the minimum width 5.7 cm (2-1/4 in) above the base. Above this waist the walls continue upward in another shallow convex arc to the rim.  The exterior is ringed by shallow horizontal grooves and has many dents and bumps. The surface is fairly smooth. The interior walls do not mirror the exterior shape. They are fairly vertical, and there is a shallow bowl at the bottom. The interior walls are very smooth.

Wood-fired, using white and black Oribe glazes, with a fine luster all over from the ash glazing.

Purchased from Art on the Table, a company in Seattle specializing in Japanese products, in November 2022.

 

200. HAMADA Junri, 1948-2022, black Oribe guinomi

200. HAMADA Junri  浜田純理, 1948-2022, black Oribe guinomi

 

Hamada’s studio name is Rojin  露人.  In 1981, he opened the Chuma-gama kiln in Tsururi, Gifu prefecture. He produced mainly tableware in the Kiseto and Oribe styles of Mino pottery.

Reddish-brown clay. Glazed in white and black, with dark red colors showing through on the unglazed spots. Weight: 136 g (5 oz). Height: 5.3 cm (2-1/8 in). Diameter of rim: 5.7 cm (2-1/4 in); of foot ring, 4.4 cm (1-3/4 in); maximum: 6.4 cm (2-1/2 in); minimum: 5.2 cm (2 in). Capacity: 80 ml (3 fl oz).

This sits on the roughly circular foot ring. The foot ring is 0.6 cm (1/4 in) high on the outside. The inside has been hollowed; the hollow is deepest just inside the ring, with a gentle mound toward the center. Above the foot ring, the walls move outward and upward at a shallow obtuse angle (110 degrees) in a straight line to a height of 1.3 cm (1/2 in) to reach the maximum width of the cup. Above this they move inward in a shallow arc to the minimum width 3.7 cm (1-1/2 in) above the base. Above this waist the walls continue upward in another shallow arc to the rim.  The exterior is ringed by shallow horizontal grooves and has many dents and bumps. The surface is fairly smooth. The interior walls do not mirror the exterior shape. They are fairly vertical, and there is a shallow bowl at the bottom. The interior walls are very smooth.

Wood-fired, using white and black Oribe glazes, with a fine luster all over from the ash glazing.

This came with a box. Inscribed on the lid in two columns in the upper right-hand corner are  黒織部 (black Oribe) and ぐい呑  (guinomi). In the lower right-hand corner, written over the artist’s red seal are the characters 露人 (Rojin, the artist’s studio name). The box includes an orange cloth and a short printed biography.

Judging from the online pictures of Hamada’s works, his output was typical of many working Japanese potters. The biography given above was taken from an online listing of Japanese potters; I’m guessing that “tableware” is a translation of the Japanese utsuwa, a catchall term for dishes and cooking vessels as well as other items used in preparing and eating food. Like most Japanese tableware meant for daily use, this fits well in the hand.

Purchased from Art on the Table, a company in Seattle specializing in Japanese products, in November 2022.

 

199. ŌHASHI Shūji, 1795­‒1857, e-Shino chawan

199. ŌHASHI Shūji  大橋秋二, 1795­‒1857, e-Shino (painted Shino) chawan (teabowl)

Ōhashi Shūji was a doctor in Kyoto known for his refined taste who enjoyed tea ceremony and painting.

He worked under Ogata Shuhei 尾形周平.  (1788–1839) in Kyoto creating works in various ceramic styles such as Seto, Karatsu, Hagi, Korai, and Mishima. Later he retired to Mino (Gifu Prefecture) where he continued making pottery. His works are displayed in Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art.

Brown clay. Shino glaze that has discolored over time to a creamy tan with a painting of pine trees and accents in dark brown, with splashes of thicker white Shino glaze along the rim and sides. Foot ring and the bottom areas of walls left unglazed. Weight: 246 g (8 oz). Height: 8.2 cm (3-14 in). Diameter of rim: 8.8 cm (3-1/2 in); of foot ring 5.1 cm (2 in); maximum: 9 cm (3-5/8 in).

This sits on an irregularly shaped foot ring , roughly 5 cm in diameter, 0.3 cm (1/8 in) high on the inside and 0.6 cm (1/4 in) on the exterior. The walls bulge outward to the maximum diameter of 9 cm centered about 3.7 cm (1-1/2 in) above the base and then slant inward slightly to just below the rim where they flare outward slightly to meet the rim. The exterior surface shows signs of having been roughly smoothed with a small bamboo paddle. The surface is rough and broken. There are hairline cracks in the glaze on the exterior. The author’s given name Shūji  秋二  is incised into the unglazed portion of the walls just above the foot ring. The next character is unclear. It may be 画, “paint, draw” meaning “drawn by Shūji.”

The basic Shino glaze was overpainted with a dark brown glaze to form a picture of two pine trees. The rim was also coated with the brown glaze. Thicker blobs of the white Shine glaze were added over the brown glaze on the rim and allowed to drip down. Parts of the pine trees drawn were also overpainted with a thin coating of the white Shino glaze. The foot ring and a triangular area on the walls near the base were left unglazed.  The glaze has darkened over time; the colors in the first and the last two pictures above come closest to the colors of the piece.

This came in an old box with the characters 秋二作  (Shūji saku;  “made by Shūji “) and  茶碗  (chawan) written on the top (the character for “wan” used on the box has the tree 木 radical rather than the stone 石 radical shown here).

Purchased from Treasures of Oldtimes in Bangkok in September 2022.

 

198. Ralph Nuara, slipware mug

198. Ralph Nuara, slipware mug

For Nuara, see item 175.

Red clay. Slipware glazes in white and black; with clear luster glaze; base and exterior of foot ring left unglazed. Weight: 388 g (14 oz). Height: 8.3 cm (3-1/4 in). Width of rim: 10.2 x 9 cm (4 x 3-1/2 in). Diameter of base: 8 cm (3-1/8 in). Width with handle: 12.3 cm (4-7/8 in). Capacity: 396 ml (14 fl oz).

This sits on a very narrow foot ring 0.3 cm (1/8 in) wide; the interior of the ring foot has been hollowed out evenly to a depth of 0.4 cm (3/16 in). The walls above the foot ring extend upward at about a 45 degree angle to a height of 0.6 cm (1/4 in) above the base; the artist’s mark has been impressed into the clay on this strip. Above this the walls of the cup rise to the rim in a series of horizontal undulations. The cross-sections are highly irregular in shape. The walls on the side opposite the handle were flattened after throwing, and there is a large irregular dent in the middle of this side. The handle is attached at the top just below the rim and about 2 cm (3/4 in) above the base at the bottom.  The surface is very smooth.

The bottom of the inside of the mug and the irregular dent in the flat side of the walls were glazed in white. A horizontal band of black was drawn in the middle of the exterior walls apparently before the handle was attached. On the exterior, there are also splashes of black in a vertical strip near the flattened area and at the top of the handle. On the interior, there are two irregular horizontal bands of black along with vertical splashes of black along the interior walls and drips of black on the white surface of the bottom. The entire cup was covered with a clear luster glaze, with the exception of the foot ring and the slanted portion of the walls just above the foot. There are also three spots on the walls that are not covered with the luster glaze; there are apparently the spots where the mug was held by the artist’s fingertips as he dipped the mug in the glaze. Glaze was also applied over the artist’s mark.

Despite the irregularities in the shape of the rim, this is easy to drink from. It’s well-balanced and fits well in the hand.

Purchased from the artist in September 2022. 

197. Jeff Abney, mug

197. Jeff Abney (Red Gate Pottery Studio), mug “with tractor-tire texture”

 

For Abney, see item 138.

Stoneware, coarse gray clay. “Hamada” glaze showing dark red with black streaks; bottom unglazed. Weight 490 g (17.5 oz). Height: 9.2 cm (3-5/8 in). Diameter at mouth: 9.7 cm (3-7/8 in); Width with handle: 13.2 cm (5-1/4 in). Capacity: 428 ml (15 fl oz).

This sits on the flat base, which has been scored with concentric circles. The walls slope outward from the base, reaching the widest diameter 9.2 cm (3.5/8 in) about 2.5 cm (1 in) above the base and then move gradually inward to the narrowest diameter 8.8 cm (3-1/2 in) about 2 cm (3/4 in) below the rim. The walls then flare outward at a slight angle to the rim. The walls would be very irregular in cross-sections. The artist’s marks (2) have been impressed into the walls just above the base. Two horizontal rows of chevrons (the “tractor-tire texture") were impressed into the walls just above the widest diameter and at the narrowest diameter. They appear to have been made with a roller device. The top of the handle is attached over the top row of chevrons; the bottom is even with the base.  The texture is smooth except over the chevrons.

This was glazed in what Abney calls the Hamada glaze, a dark reddish brown glaze with black streaks from the wood-firing reminiscent of those used by Hamada Shōji. The base and a narrow portion of the walls just above the base were left unglazed.

The mug is heavy but easy to hold.  Simple yet effective decoration.

Purchased from the artist in September 2022.

 

196. Anne Maraviglia, mug

196. Anne Maraviglia (Flying Plumtree Studio), wood-fired Tenmoku-glazed mug

For Maraviglia, see item 126.

Brown clay. Tenmoku glaze showing reddish brown colors; grays and blacks due to ash deposits from wood-firing; melted ash glaze on some surfaces showing as a golden sheen. The bottom was left unglazed and unexposed to the ash flow. Weight: 440 g (1 lb). Height: 10.7 cm (4-1/14 in); Diameter: 8.4 cm (3-5/16 in). Width with handle: 11.3 cm (4-1/2 in). Capacity: 426 ml (15 fl oz).

This sits on the flat base; the sides of the base are beveled at about a 45 degree angle up toward the walls of the cup. There is a slight groove just above this bevel. The glazing extends down to the groove. There are two horizontal bulges roughly 40 and 60 percent of the way up the cup. The handle is attached just above the bottom rim and just above the uppermost bulge. The artist’s mark was impressed into the clay just above the groove and next to the handle.

This was wood-fired. One side of the cup shows a large patch of black and gray ash deposits. The opposite side shows less impact from the wood-firing. Melted ash glazing left a gold-hued sheen over much of the exterior surface. The rim is black and gray on the exterior. The interior is a dark reddish brown. The surface of this is smooth.

The mug is well balanced. The lower placement of the handle makes it easier to hold even when the mug is full despite the depth of the cup.

Purchased from the artist in September 2022.

 

195. Cara Taylor, Vase

195. Cara Taylor, Vase, “Pyramid No. 1”

Taylor is a potter in Easthampton, Massachusetts. For more of her work, see her website, carataylor.com.

White porcelain clay; wood-fired with cream color on exposed sides, with some brown speckling, especially toward the base; base is orangish pink. Glazed through salt-firing. A lining glaze in a light blue color was applied to the interior. Weight: 620 g (22 oz). Height: 14.3 cm (5-5/8 in). Length: 16.3 cm (6-1/4 in). Width: 11.4 cm (4-1/4 in).

This was hand-built, apparently of two pieces of clay. The piece sits on a flat, three-sided base 15 x 12.5 x 12 cm (6 x 5 x 4-3/4 in). The two longer sides meet in an arc; they meet the shortest side at about 90 degree angles. The shortest side bows outward slightly. The marks where the small posts used to separate pots in the kiln were attached are visible as grayish spots on the base. This same piece of clay was bent upwards in a triangular shape with the apex 12.5 cm (5 in) above the base (here referred to as the back piece). The other piece of clay forms the two long sides of the piece, meeting the back piece as right angles and curving around on the opposite side. They join at the top in a sharp line that rises slightly from the back side to the mouth. There is a slight indent at the seam where the two pieces meet.  The mouth is an oval 3.2 x 2.3 cm (1-1/4 x7/8 in) in size. It is located on one of the longer sides. The surface of this is mostly smooth; the brown speckles protrude slightly.

A well thought out and nicely executed piece. It manages to be equally formal, elegant, flowing, and playful. 

Purchased from the artist in October 2022.

194. Andrew Sartorius, Firebox Sculpture 15, “Little Bird”

 194. Andrew Sartorius, Firebox Sculpture 15, “Little Bird”

 

For Sartorius, see item 143.

Elsewhere Sartorius refers to this as “Little Wing.”

Wild clay from North Carolina; mostly gray colors from the wood firing, with some dark reds and rust colors; some glazing from the ash melt. Weight 150 g (5 oz). Height: 5.4 cm (2-1/8 in). Length: 10.4 cm (4 in). Width: 5 cm (2 in).

This sits on a flat, round base about 4.2 cm (1-7/8 in) in diameter. The base was relatively untouched by the ash flow. The sides flow upward from the base in a complex series of contours. There are three sides. The smallest is a rough triangle; the artist’s mark was impressed into this area. The other two, longer sides are rough teardrops in shape. The top is another teardrop shape, with the opening toward one end. The opening is about 2.2 cm (7.8 in) in diameter and has a raised vertical lip about 0.7 cm (7/8 in) high.

This was fired in the lower front of an anagama kiln for four days. According to Sartorius, “it was dangerously close to the embers for such a small piece. It really developed the cooler ash surface of something insulated by the embers surrounding it.”

Purchased from the artist, July 2022.