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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.

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Page
1
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0
Type
photo
Media ID
5ad74af0e73cf3be
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Document data

ID
447714
Core
obj
Type
object
DTO data
{
    "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",
    "citation": "https://clevelandart.org/art/2022.188",
    "rights": "CC0",
    "rightsUri": "CC0",
    "language": "en",
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        "Q117536010"
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        299428
    ],
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        "Ceramic"
    ],
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    "largeImageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2022.188/2022.188_web.jpg",
    "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"
}

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Document identity
{
    "localId": "447714",
    "label": "Saucers with Matching Shells",
    "core": "obj",
    "dtoType": "object"
}
Document 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",
    "citation": "https://clevelandart.org/art/2022.188",
    "rights": "CC0",
    "rightsUri": "CC0",
    "language": "en",
    "wikidata": [
        "Q117536010"
    ],
    "creators": [
        299428
    ],
    "genreSpecific": [
        "Ceramic"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2022.188/2022.188_web.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2022.188/2022.188_web.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2022.188/2022.188_web.jpg",
    "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"
}
Document 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"
        }
    ],
    "url": "https://clevelandart.org/art/2022.188",
    "creditline": "Gift of James and Christine Heusinger",
    "updatedAt": "2026-05-29 09:01:32.535000",
    "imageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2022.188/2022.188_print.jpg",
    "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": null,
    "image_url": null
}
Page context
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