Famous Handmade Item
Famous Item
Attached Foreign Object: Box, Paulownia Wood, Inscription by Matsudaira Fumai
Provenance: Purchased by Matsudaira Fumai during the Bunka period from Takaya Chubei
Dimensions
Height: 8.1–8.5 cm, Mouth Diameter: 14.0 cm, Foot Diameter: 5.3 cm, Height: 1.6 cm, Weight: 360 g
This is also one of the well-known tea bowls acquired by Matsudaira Fumai, who apparently had a particular fondness for well-style tea bowls. As promised, the bowl has a slightly curved shape, with a tall, wide bamboo-jointed foot, and the bowl body features wheel marks.
Although the wheel marks are quite pronounced, they are evenly distributed from bottom to top, so they do not give a strong impression. The glaze covers the entire surface, with some areas where it has flowed slightly, but it appears to be applied at a consistent thickness. The color and the way the glaze has cracked are uniform, resulting in a overall gentle and harmonious finish. This is likely why Fumai was so fond of this piece.
Nevertheless, it appears to have been well-used, as there is a red tea stain band near the inner rim, and blue-tinged spotted stains are scattered across the interior. There is a glaze flow on the outer front, likely a remnant from when excess glaze was discarded. The accumulation of feldspar gives it a purple hue, creating an elegant scene.
Box: Paulownia wood with white lacquer; inscription by Matsudaira Fumai.
