Tea Storage Jar

Description

In this tea storage jar, Nonomura Ninsei reinterpreted a Shigaraki stoneware—made to hold agricultural products and known for its warm orange color, asymmetrical round forms, and irregular natural ash glazes—to produce a more refined piece that would appeal to tea masters seeking a touch of rusticity. In Japanese tea culture, hanging scroll paintings or calligraphy are placed in the tokonoma, or viewing alcove, for participants to admire and discuss along with the utensils used in the gathering. The scrolls are typically paired with vessels containing seasonal floral arrangements.

Provenance

paper on underside of box lid: A tea container by Ninsei alleged to come from the Meada family of Toyama.; (Fugendo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?–1978); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1978–)

Tea Storage Jar

Nonomura Ninsei

mid- to late 1600s

Accession Number

1978.6

Medium

Stoneware with white glaze (Shigaraki style)

Dimensions

height: 28.3 cm (11 1/8 in.); Diameter: 28.7 cm (11 5/16 in.)

Classification

Ceramic

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund