Tea Bowl thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 143, The Timothy Sainsbury Gallery

Tea Bowl

1691-1716 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Raku Sonyu (1664-1716), to whom this bowl can be attributed on stylistic grounds, was the fifth generation head of the Kyoto-based Raku family. With its characteristic matt black glaze, it has a quietude reminiscent of the work of the first generation Raku Chojiro (died 1589).

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Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Hand-built Black Raku type high-fired earthenware with black glaze
Brief description
Tea bowl, Raku ware, Kyoto, attributed to Raku Sonyu (1664-1716), Japan, 1691-1716
Physical description
Tea bowl with rounded base, small footring, and all-over covering of black glaze; three spur marks on footring
Dimensions
  • Maximum diameter diameter: 11.4cm
  • Height: 7.6cm
  • Mouth diameter diameter: 10.0cm (Note: Mouth diameter varies from 9.8 to 10.2 cm)
  • Footring diameter diameter: 5.0cm
Styles
Object history
Purchased from the Japanese Commissioners for the Philadelphia Exposition of 1876, accessioned in 1877. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Association
Summary
Raku Sonyu (1664-1716), to whom this bowl can be attributed on stylistic grounds, was the fifth generation head of the Kyoto-based Raku family. With its characteristic matt black glaze, it has a quietude reminiscent of the work of the first generation Raku Chojiro (died 1589).
Bibliographic reference
Augustus Wollaston Franks and M. Shioda, Japanese Pottery. [London]: Chapman & Hall Ltd., 1880. South Kensington Museum Art Handbooks; 18. Catalogue number 81
Collection
Accession number
240-1877

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Record createdNovember 20, 2002
Record URL
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