Tea leaf storage jar, late 16th century
Unknown Japaneseexpand_more
Bizen ware; stoneware with natural ash glaze and straw fire marks around mouthexpand_more
Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundationexpand_more 2015.79.282
On View in Gallery 224expand_more
This sturdy jar was used to store dried tea leaves before they were ground into powder for use in the tea ceremony. Its high neck was designed to accommodate a stopper that would have been lashed to the vessel with a cord threaded through the four lugs (loops). In the kiln, ash from the fire landed on the shoulders of the vessel and liquefied in the intense heat, creating natural glaze. The high iron content of Bizen clay determines the reddish-brown color of the jar and also causes the naturally greenish glaze to turn yellow, an effect known as gomayū or “sesame seed glaze.”
Details
- Title
- Tea leaf storage jar
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2015.79.282
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Murase, Art through a Lifetime, no. 589
- Curator Approved
This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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