Ask the Scholar

Document scope · 1 page
obj
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory. For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.

Source Description

This ceramic is an especially accomplished example of Yohei III’s combination of an allover translucent colored glaze with molded and carved designs. It features the peony as its primary motif. The water container, or <em>mizusashi</em>, has a green glaze, and its design takes into consideration the rounded shape and the seated position of the host and guests. It begins low on the body with a flower just beginning to open and continues with another flower a bit higher up, with its petals fully extended and beginning to open outward. It finishes with a flower in full bloom, petals and leaves unfurled and spread outward from the center, now occupying almost the entire surface. <br><br>The water container once belonged to the Hosokawa family, whose go-between corresponded with Yohei IV about the piece. Yohei IV thanked them for their payment and requested that despite his father’s death in the previous year, they continue to favor the studio with their orders. The letter and its envelope, as well as an auction tag, remain with the object.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
447727
label
Water Container with Peonies
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
447727
contentType
object
title
Water Container with Peonies
description
This ceramic is an especially accomplished example of Yohei III’s combination of an allover translucent colored glaze with molded and carved designs. It features the peony as its primary motif. The water container, or <em>mizusashi</em>, has a green glaze, and its design takes into consideration the rounded shape and the seated position of the host and guests. It begins low on the body with a flower just beginning to open and continues with another flower a bit higher up, with its petals fully extended and beginning to open outward. It finishes with a flower in full bloom, petals and leaves unfurled and spread outward from the center, now occupying almost the entire surface. <br><br>The water container once belonged to the Hosokawa family, whose go-between corresponded with Yohei IV about the piece. Yohei IV thanked them for their payment and requested that despite his father’s death in the previous year, they continue to favor the studio with their orders. The letter and its envelope, as well as an auction tag, remain with the object.
date
1900–1914
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q117662473
creators
299428
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
height with lid: 17.8 cm (7 in.); Diameter: 16 cm (6 5/16 in.)
cul
Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)
accession
2022.197
Source extras
tec
Porcelain with molded and carved design, green glaze, and black lacquered lid
tombstone
Water Container with Peonies, 1900–1914. Seifū Yohei III (Japanese, 1851–1914). Porcelain with molded and carved design, green glaze, and black lacquered lid; height with lid: 17.8 cm (7 in.); diameter: 16 cm (6 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of James and Christine Heusinger, 2022.197
collection
Japanese Art
inscriptions
inscription
清風
inscription_translation
“Seifū” inscribed on the base
sortorder
1
inscription_translation
Flower seal on the lid of the interior box
sortorder
2
inscription
帝室技芸員
inscription_translation
Seal on the lid of the interior box: Imperial Household Artist “Teishitsu gigei’in”
inscription_remark
Seal on the lid of the interior box:
sortorder
3
inscription
清風
inscription_translation
Seal on the lid of the interior box: “Seifū”
sortorder
4
didYouKnow
This water container may also serve as a site for cultural reckoning, as when the life cycle of a flower prized in East Asia as a symbol of wealth is displayed across a Japanese chanoyu vessel whose glaze is associated with the seats of power in China and Korea.
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. 53, pp. 2–3 and 128–131
citation
"Colours of Kyoto, Ceramics From the Yohei Studio." <em>The Asian Art Newspaper: Monthly for Collectors, Dealers, Museums and Galleries </em>27, no. 1 (November 2023): 8
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 8
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. 183; Reproduced: p. 182 (fig. 3)
creditline
Gift of James and Christine Heusinger
sketchfabId
7051152ac78b426da1ad589f04fb8f38
updatedAt
2026-06-18 21:16:43.958000
sourceId
447727
dept
Japanese Art
coll
Japanese Art
med
Porcelain with molded and carved design, green glaze, and black lacquered lid
creatorTags
male
Asian (from 1900 to present)
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
372325acfefdf45b