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Japanese Studio Porcelain Vase with Cranes by Shofu browse these categories for related items... All Items: Antiques:Regional Art:Asian:Japanese:Porcelain: Pre 1910: item # 1036438 Please refer to our stock # 2-870 when inquiring.
B & C Antiques P. O. Box 291 Derby, CT 06418 203-929-7312 Guest Book $1,600 |
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Made by distinguished Japanese studio potter Shofu Katei (1870-1928), this lovely porcelain ovoid vase is skillfully decorated with a pair of elegant cranes on a lightly graduated underglaze pale mauve/pink ground and light blue foreground. Signed “Shofu” in underglaze blue on the base, it dates to the Meiji period, ca. 1910. Two large red headed white cranes, with black wing tips and throats, can be seen standing among rocks in shallow blue water. Their legs, beaks, eyes and the patches on their heads are delineated in contrasting shades of dark gray and speckled dark pink. The subtle and difficult gradations of shading from the mauve/pink color on the upper portion to the light blue at the base are simply masterful, producing an almost ethereal effect on this little masterpiece. This superb mastery of the glaze coloration was a skill for which the Japanese studio potters were renowned. Also known as Shofu Kajo, this potter was born in Seto in 1870. He came to Kyoto in 1888, and in 1890, he was adopted into the Shofu Kajo family. In 1908, he set up the Shofu Ceramics Company, Ltd. and was awarded a Green Ribbon in 1915. First awarded in 1885, the Green Ribbon was a "Medal of Honor" awarded to "individuals who, through their diligence and perseverance while engaging in their professional activities, became public role models.” Shofu excelled in hard-paste porcelains and was known for his blowout designs in multi-colored glazes. He is said to have invented several new techniques, including moriage or low relief porcelain. Shofu’s works are generally classified in the same league as those of renowned studio potters Makazu Kozan and Seifu Yohei III. Several examples of his porcelains are featured in “Treasures of Imperial Japan: Ceramics from the Khalili Collection,” including Figure 35, which illustrates a similarly shaped and colored vase of the same size decorated with stylized geese. CONDITION is perfect. DIMENSIONS: 4 ¾” (12 cm) high, 3” (7.6 cm) widest diameter. |
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