small irregularly gourd-shaped ceramic vessel; goma splash glaze; concave bottom; brown glaze with rust and gold areas; ivory lid lined with gold leaf; has storage box

Tea caddy, late 16th century

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Beginning in the 1300s, Japanese potters in and around Imbe village in the old province of Bizen produced a variety of sturdy utilitarian vessels using the local, iron-rich clay. The unglazed, rich reddish brown clay later appealed to tea masters like Sen no Rikyū (1522–1591), who is credited with profoundly shaping the Japanese tea ceremony in the late 1500s and is known to have prized accidental kiln effects. This small, finely crafted tea caddy exhibits the gomayū (sesame seed glaze) effect in which small yellowish beads of natural ash glaze form in the firing process. This caddy was once owned by Sotsutaku-sai (1744–1808), eighth-generation head of the Omotesenke, one of the three schools of the tea ceremony that carry on the tradition of Sen no Rikyū.

Details
Title
Tea caddy
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2000.29.1a,b
Curator Approved

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small irregularly gourd-shaped ceramic vessel; goma splash glaze; concave bottom; brown glaze with rust and gold areas; ivory lid lined with gold leaf; has storage box