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Round Box with Lid

Kawai Kanjirô

Artwork Details

Round Box with Lid
1929-1942
Kawai Kanjirô
porcelain with yellow glaze, red slip and incised decoration
1 7/8 in x 2 13/16 in (4.76 cm x 7.14 cm);1 7/8 in (4.76 cm);3 1/8 in x 4 1/2 in x 4 5/16 in (7.94 cm x 11.43 cm x 10.95 cm)
Gift of Willard A. and Marybelle Bouchard Hanna
1991/2.25.1-2

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Description

In 1929, Kawai Kanjirô exhibited ceramics that embodied his idea of the Mingei aesthetic—a testimony to his increasingly close relationships with Yanagi Sôetsu (1889–1961) and Hamada Shôji (1894–1978), two important figures in the Mingei movement. This work was dramatically different from his earlier production, which emphasized an elegance and technical perfection modeled on Chinese porcelain and stoneware traditions. Kawai would remain committed to the Mingei aesthetic, encapsulated in the phrase “utility is beautiful,” throughout his long and prolific career.
During the 1930s and 1940s, Kawai often produced containers with lids for the storage of small objects like incense. Though diminutive, they retain the strong forms and sense of color that he acquired from his early study of Chinese ceramics.
(Turning Point exhibition, Spring 2010)

Subject Matter:

Round container with lid

Physical Description:

Round porcelain container with lid. The base and lid are nearly identical, with incuded designs and red slip under a yellow glaze.

Usage Rights:

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