Storage Jar (Tsubo)
Unknown Artist
1400s
Medium
stoneware with natural ash glaze (Shigaraki ware)
Dimensions
{"diameter":{"width":0.475},"overall":{"height":0.53}}
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift from the Collection of George Gund III
Accession Number
2015.492
About this artwork
This bulbous clay jar, with its expansive, dry orange-brown surface, white dots of feldspathic stone, and spidery crazing marks epitomizes one type of medieval ware from Shigaraki. This region east of Kyoto and north of the older cultural and religious center of Nara has long been known as a source of superior clay material. Shigaraki storage jars were crafted for strength and durability. The vessel's slightly lopsided shape shows precisely where its three lower clay sections connect with one an...