Tea jar
Unknown Artist
1750
Medium
Pottery with handle and ivory-colored lid; Satsuma-like glazes over a light brown ground (Takatori ware)
Dimensions
H. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1925
Accession Number
25.60.26a, b
Art Historical Context
This petite tea jar, created around 1750 during Japan's Edo period (16151868), captures the everyday elegance of domestic life in a time of cultural flourishing and isolation under the shogunate. just 2½ inches (6.4 cm) tall, it was designed for storing tea leaves—a staple of Japanese ritual and social customs—featuring a practical handle, ivory-colored lid, and light brown ground coated in Satsuma-like glazes a subtle, glossy sheen. Takatori ware, originating from kilns in present-day Fukuoka Prefecture, is celebrated for its robust pottery tradition, often blending earthy functionality with...