染付竹林の七賢文水指|Water Jar (Mizusashi) with the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove
Unknown Artist
second half of the 18th century
Medium
Porcelain painted with cobalt blue under a transparent glaze; lacquer cover (Hirado ware)
Dimensions
H. 8 in. (20.3 cm); Diam. 6 3/4 in. (17.1 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. V. Everit Macy, 1923
Accession Number
23.225.53
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant water jar, or *mizusashi*, hails from Japan's Edo period (1615–1868), the second half of the18th century. Crafted as Hirado ware—a renowned porcelain from the Hirado domain in Nagasaki—it served as a practical yet refined utensil in the tea ceremony, holding fresh water for whisking matcha. The jar's surface features a cobalt-blue underglaze painting of the Seven Sages of Bamboo Grove, a celebrated Chinese literati theme depicting seven reclusive scholars amid swaying bamboo and lush leaves. This motif evokes ideals of harmony with nature, intellectual freedom, and escape from wor...