Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Japan, Room 45, The Toshiba Gallery

Bottle

1700-1800 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Compared to the unglazed utilitarian ceramics produced during the early Edo period, Seto ware was unique for the period and admired for its rich glaze, elegant form and striking decoration. Durable sake bottles, as exemplified by this piece, had to be both aesthetically pleasing and robust. On this vessel the thick black calligraphic brushwork enhances the white glaze and emphasises the subtle curvature of the body, while the wide base gives the piece stability.

The application of glaze was perfected at the Seto kilns during the fifteenth century and later adopted in the Mino province. Unpretentious in form and decoration the pieces sought to replicate Chinese porcelain ceramics that were in high demand within Japan. During the Momoyama period (1573-1615), many pieces were produced only for ritual or ceremonial use due to the expense of production. By the Edo period (1615-1868) manufacturing methods had significantly improved, reducing costs and subsequently increasing public demand for glazed stoneware. It was during this period that the Seto kilns began to produce vast volumes of Seto ware for everyday domestic use.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Glazed stoneware
Brief description
Sake bottle, stoneware with white glaze, decorated with calligraphic design, Seto, Japan, 1700-1800
Physical description
Sake bottle, with clear white glaze over calligraphic decoration in underglaze iron brown. It has a wide torso with a gentle curve, short neck and everted rim. Decorated with a calligraphic design in heavy, flowing brushwork on a white glaze background, the vase has a rustic appearance. On the base of the vessel there is no glaze and the dark colour of the stoneware body remains visible, while on one side of the vessel the glazing has pooled to form three long drips. There is slight crazing visible within the glaze.
Dimensions
  • Height: 18.5cm
  • Diameter: 11cm
Style
Gallery label
Bottle for sake with poetic inscription 1700–1800 The Seto kilns near Nagoya have long been one of the most important ceramic-manufacturing centres in Japan. From the 17th century they supplied functional ceramics like this bottle to much of central and eastern Japan, including the large and populous market of Edo (Tokyo). Seto kilns Stoneware painted in underglaze brown Gift of Alexander Bruce Museum no. FE.83-2011 (04/11/2015)
Credit line
Given by Alexander Bruce
Summary
Compared to the unglazed utilitarian ceramics produced during the early Edo period, Seto ware was unique for the period and admired for its rich glaze, elegant form and striking decoration. Durable sake bottles, as exemplified by this piece, had to be both aesthetically pleasing and robust. On this vessel the thick black calligraphic brushwork enhances the white glaze and emphasises the subtle curvature of the body, while the wide base gives the piece stability.

The application of glaze was perfected at the Seto kilns during the fifteenth century and later adopted in the Mino province. Unpretentious in form and decoration the pieces sought to replicate Chinese porcelain ceramics that were in high demand within Japan. During the Momoyama period (1573-1615), many pieces were produced only for ritual or ceremonial use due to the expense of production. By the Edo period (1615-1868) manufacturing methods had significantly improved, reducing costs and subsequently increasing public demand for glazed stoneware. It was during this period that the Seto kilns began to produce vast volumes of Seto ware for everyday domestic use.
Collection
Accession number
FE.83-2011

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Record createdFebruary 1, 2011
Record URL
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