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Box with Lid

Kōyama Kiyoko

Artwork Details

Box with Lid
circa 2000
Kōyama Kiyoko
stoneware with natural ash glaze
4 1/8 in x 7 3/16 in x 7 5/16 in (10.48 cm x 18.26 cm x 18.57 cm);1 3/8 in x 7 3/16 in x 7 5/16 in (3.49 cm x 18.26 cm x 18.57 cm)
Gift of the artist
2010/1.210

Description

Recent Acquisitions Part II
March 31-August 5, 2012
Kôyama Kiyoko
Japan, born 1936
Box with lid
Heisei Period (1989–present)
circa 2000
Stoneware with natural ash glaze
Gift of the artist, 2010/1.210

Subject Matter:

This is a container with a lid. The artist, Koyama Kyoko, struggled as a female potter in a trade dominated by male artists. She received recognition when she discovered a way to revive the forgotten techinique of natural ash glazes, which are commonly used in her work.

Physical Description:

This ovular box, although flat on the bottom, has a lid decorated with curved ridges and protrusions that arch across the surface. The entire exterior is speckled with tiny craters, breaking up the illusion of a perfectly smooth surface. The ash glaze decorates the lidded box with an earthy brown color. The glaz pools in the valleys of the lid and small craters throughout, creating areas of darker hue. The meeting of the lid and box body is not a straight line, but rugged.

Usage Rights:

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