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Source Description
Yohei IV’s interest in bold, colorful designs is on full display in this vase shaped like a “prunus vase,” or <em>meiping</em> (Japanese <em>meipin</em>). It has two colors of amaranthus on a yellow ground. It follows a design appearing on a sleeve-shaped vase by Yohei III. Yohei IV uses bright spring-green dots of overglaze enamel to suggest a ground plane in his yellow environment; he also uses red and magenta accented with wild gold cascades of dots for two plants he places on opposite sides of the vase, one much larger than the other. In Yohei III’s version, the body of the vessel is white, and the foliage of one plant is red with carefully painted veins in gold, while another plant strategically positioned behind it has a deep rust color, again carefully detailed in gold. In a sense, Yohei IV has deconstructed his father’s logical, balanced design and re-presented it as an emotive, lightheartedly chaotic one that sates the appetite for instant gratification, much as his father’s creation rewards the pursuit of elegance.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
299434
label
Prunus Vase with Amaranth
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
299434
contentType
object
title
Prunus Vase with Amaranth
description
Yohei IV’s interest in bold, colorful designs is on full display in this vase shaped like a “prunus vase,” or <em>meiping</em> (Japanese <em>meipin</em>). It has two colors of amaranthus on a yellow ground. It follows a design appearing on a sleeve-shaped vase by Yohei III. Yohei IV uses bright spring-green dots of overglaze enamel to suggest a ground plane in his yellow environment; he also uses red and magenta accented with wild gold cascades of dots for two plants he places on opposite sides of the vase, one much larger than the other. In Yohei III’s version, the body of the vessel is white, and the foliage of one plant is red with carefully painted veins in gold, while another plant strategically positioned behind it has a deep rust color, again carefully detailed in gold. In a sense, Yohei IV has deconstructed his father’s logical, balanced design and re-presented it as an emotive, lightheartedly chaotic one that sates the appetite for instant gratification, much as his father’s creation rewards the pursuit of elegance.
date
1914–46
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q117793513
creators
299426
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
height: 29.8 cm (11 3/4 in.); Diameter: 11.4 cm (4 1/2 in.); height with stand: 32.4 cm (12 3/4 in.)
cul
Japan, Taishō period (1912–26)
accession
2022.229
Source extras
tec
Porcelain with yellow glaze and overglaze color enamel and gold
tombstone
Prunus Vase with Amaranth, 1914–46. Seifū Yohei IV (Japanese, 1872–1951). Porcelain with yellow glaze and overglaze color enamel and gold; height: 29.8 cm (11 3/4 in.); diameter: 11.4 cm (4 1/2 in.); height with stand: 32.4 cm (12 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of James and Christine Heusinger, 2022.229
collection
Japanese Art
inscriptions
inscription
清風
inscription_translation
“Seifū” incised on the base
sortorder
1
inscription
渡邊所藏
inscription_translation
The paper label on the side of the outer box has a seal that reads “Kept by Watanabe."
sortorder
2
inscription
清風造
inscription_translation
Inscription on the inside of the inner box's lid: "Made by Seifū"
sortorder
3
inscription_translation
Inscriptions on the lids of the outer and inner boxes and on a paper affixed to the side of the vase’s outer box refer to the plant as ganraikō (C. yanlaihong 雁来紅). This term is an alternate for gen or hiyu (C. xian). Both may be translated as amaranthus. In Japan, there is also the word hageitō, or “leaf[–variety] cockscomb.” The amaranthus family includes the Celosia genus of plants, among which is the cockscomb (Celosia cristata). The plants on this vase, however, more closely resemble the plumed celosia (Celosia plumosa). The genus name derives from the ancient Greek term κήλεος meaning “burning.”
sortorder
4
didYouKnow
Seifū Yohei IV continued to create works in the studio’s signature colors but also produced pieces with strong color and flare that were his interpretations of Qing dynasty (1644–1911) glazes.
citations
citation
Maezaki, Shinya and Sinéad Vilbar. <em>Colors of Kyoto: The Seifū Yohei Ceramic Studio</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 87, pp. 176–179
citation
Goodall, Hollis. "Seifū Yohei III: Master of Finesse." <em>Impressions: The Journal of the Japanese Art Society of America</em> 45, part 2 (2024): 178-193.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 192; Reproduced: p. 1 (inside front cover), 193 (fig. 10)
creditline
Gift of James and Christine Heusinger
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:53:21.914000
sourceId
299434
dept
Japanese Art
coll
Japanese Art
med
Porcelain with yellow glaze and overglaze color enamel and gold
creatorTags
male
Asian (from 1900 to present)
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
9f151251db4ce098