Cleveland Museum of Art

Bowl with Dragons Chasing Flaming Jewels

Seifū Yohei III

Date

1893–97

Medium

Porcelain with molded and carved design

Culture

Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912) to Taishō period (1912–26)

Department

Japanese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The decoration of this large bowl, described as a donburi on one side of its box, is executed entirely in molded and carved relief under a creamy, pink-tinged translucent glaze. The main motif is a pair of four-clawed dragons pursuing flaming jewels. As is standard for this design, the beasts are surrounded by wisps of cloud, and a foliate pattern runs around the bottom of the basin. A geometric pattern circles the exterior of the footring. The white-on-white design makes the bowl subtle and elegant. Kyoto-based Japanese ceramist Seifū Yohei III (1851–1914) admired the glaze colors found on Chinese porcelain and tried to replicate them through intensive experimentation.

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