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Source Description

Yohei III’s main output for his sophisticated clientele was in the form of tea sets and dining sets. He created a range of dishes in green glazes. He often produced in pairs, sets of five, or sets of ten. <br><br>The set of five dishes with a more complex form is described as having a “water-colored glaze” (<em>mizuiroyū</em>). These are shaped like clam half shells, a reference to a game in which shell halves painted with narrative scenes or a variety of motifs must be matched back together by the players. The dishes have molded details to articulate the shell forms, and the crackling across each shell adds another dimension to the surface. Each dish is set on three small feet, formed by a pinched piece of clay and attached to an unglazed area on the underside of the dish. Curiously, while four of the dishes are stamped with the artist’s mark, one has instead a signature carved into the base.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
447714
label
Saucers with Matching Shells
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
447714
contentType
object
title
Saucers with Matching Shells
description
Yohei III’s main output for his sophisticated clientele was in the form of tea sets and dining sets. He created a range of dishes in green glazes. He often produced in pairs, sets of five, or sets of ten. <br><br>The set of five dishes with a more complex form is described as having a “water-colored glaze” (<em>mizuiroyū</em>). These are shaped like clam half shells, a reference to a game in which shell halves painted with narrative scenes or a variety of motifs must be matched back together by the players. The dishes have molded details to articulate the shell forms, and the crackling across each shell adds another dimension to the surface. Each dish is set on three small feet, formed by a pinched piece of clay and attached to an unglazed area on the underside of the dish. Curiously, while four of the dishes are stamped with the artist’s mark, one has instead a signature carved into the base.
date
1893–1914
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q117536010
creators
299428
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
height (each): 3 cm (1 3/16 in.); width (each): 12 cm (4 3/4 in.); depth (each): 8.5 cm (3 3/8 in.)
cul
Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)
accession
2022.188
Source extras
tec
Set of five saucers; porcelain with molded designs and green crackled glaze
tombstone
Saucers with Matching Shells, 1893–1914. Seifū Yohei III (Japanese, 1851–1914). Set of five saucers; porcelain with molded designs and green crackled glaze; height (each): 3 cm (1 3/16 in.); width (each): 12 cm (4 3/4 in.); depth (each): 8.5 cm (3 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of James and Christine Heusinger, 2022.188
collection
Japanese Art
didYouKnow
The saucers are meant to look like matched halves of clam shells in reference to a once popular game.
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. 44, pp. 118–120
creditline
Gift of James and Christine Heusinger
updatedAt
2026-05-29 09:01:32.535000
sourceId
447714
dept
Japanese Art
coll
Japanese Art
med
Set of five saucers; porcelain with molded designs and green crackled glaze
creatorTags
male
Asian (from 1900 to present)
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
5ad74af0e73cf3be