One from set of five squared food vessels (mukōzuke) for tea-gathering meal
Unknown Artist
early 17th century
Medium
Stoneware with iron-oxide and copper green overglaze decoration (Mino ware, Yashichida Oribe type)
Dimensions
H. 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm); W. 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture & Period
Japan · Momoyama (1573–1615) or Edo (1615–1868) period
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation Gift, 1973
Accession Number
1973.80.5
Art Historical Context
This delicate squared food vessel, known as a *mukōzuke*, is one from a set of five designed for serving side dishes during intimate tea-gathering meals in early 17th-century Japan Part of the Momoyama or Edo period, it reflects the refined aesthetics of the tea ceremony (*chanoyu*), where humble ceramics elevated everyday rituals into profound artistic experiences. Its compact size—standing just under 4 inches tall and wide—made it ideal for sharing small, seasonal morsels amid gatherings of samurai, merchants, and tea masters. Crafted in Mino ware, a renowned stoneware tradition from centra...