Incense Box: Seto Ware
Unknown Artist
1200s–1300s
Medium
glazed stoneware
Dimensions
h. 3.5 cm · diam. 6 cm
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Sherman E. Lee
Accession Number
1975.170
About this artwork
Old Seto, also called Koseto ware, was typically coated with an ash glaze in the mineral feldspar, which produced a yellow or grayish-green glaze. This palette appealed to medieval Buddhist priests and samurai alike. The practice of burning incense in religious, court, and domestic settings dates from the early 700s in Japan.