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Japanese Studio Porcelain Vase with Cranes by Shofu

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All Items: Archives:Regional Art:Asian:Japanese: Pre 1910: item # 815557

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Japanese Studio Porcelain Vase with Cranes by Shofu
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, moving to Kyoto in 1890. 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 porcelain, which is exemplified by this vase. He was awarded the Green Ribbon in 1915. Shofu’s works are generally classified in the same league as those of 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, 2 ¾” (7 cm) widest diameter.



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