Height 6.3 cm, mouth diameter 20.8 cm, lid diameter 23.0 x 23.7 cm
Idemitsu Museum of Arts
Although there is no signature of Korin, the pine tree on the front of the lid and the wave pattern on the interior strongly suggest the Korin School, and the wave pattern on the interior in particular seems to have been painted by Korin.
The lid has a rounded bottom and is made of Shigaraki-style clay, but it is thought to be made of Kurotani go-do clay. The sides of the body and the front of the lid are underglazed with iron pigments mixed with white mud and gosu, then glazed with a transparent glaze and fired, then overglazed with gold and silver. The inner surfaces of both the lid and body were painted with a wave pattern in gouzu over a white underglaze, then glazed with a transparent glaze and fired, and then gilded. The depiction of the waves is soft and graceful, and in particular, the dots at the top of the waves suggest Korin’s brushwork.
The outer base is clay, and the two Chinese characters for “Qianzan” are written in large letters in the center of the base.
This is a unique example of pottery with a highly pictorial style, which is a major characteristic of the style of Korin and Kenzan, who inherited the decorative style from Koetsu and Sotatsu, and is the essence of Kenzan ware.
