A beautiful Bizen pottery vase by the artist Shibuta Toshiaki, shaped like a flattened sphere with a sharply defined triangular opening at the top, executed with a confident hand. It displays a lovely gradient from brown to orange-red. The highly textured surface strongly evokes the surface of a planet. The vase's colors appear to shift dramatically depending on the ambient light, sometimes bright and vibrant, sometimes dim, and it's impossible not to see in it the symbol of Yin and Yang.
Shibuta Toshiaki was born in 1957 in Hyogo, Japan. He began working in Bizen in 1983 and has since received several awards, notably at exhibitions at the Tanabe Art Museum dedicated to the Japanese tea ceremony. He participated in the construction of an Anagama kiln in France at the La Tuilerie de Pouligny Ecomuseum, where he taught the ancient techniques of unglazed firing.
Bizen pottery in Japan, produced from the Kamakura period (1185-1338) onward, is characterized by its reddish-brown color and a coating of ash reminiscent of goma, or sesame seeds. Later, it became highly prized for its superb clay quality, unassuming appearance, durability, and ability to preserve water quality. During the Momoyama period (1573-1600), a gigantic kiln measuring 50 meters long by 5 meters wide was built in Bizen, and it was during this time that the masterpieces of tea ceremony pottery were created. Bizen pottery pieces are fired unglazed in a pine-wood kiln for 8 to 20 days. When the temperature reaches 1250°C, pine ash settles on the pieces, coating them with a natural glaze in varying shades on each piece. Those fired under optimal conditions have a robust, heavy appearance with a natural texture and a restrained elegance. Bizen pottery is said to be modest and understated, yet full of refinement, reflecting the spirit of Japan. The town of Bizen is located in Okayama Prefecture, and the clay gathered from the town's rice paddies is of excellent quality, allowing potters to create exceptional works.
Circa: 2016
Condition report: In very good condition with its original wooden box
Delivery
Europe: 100 EUR
US/Canada/HK: 200 EUR
Rest of the world: Price upon request
- Reference :
- 3395
- Width :
- 23 (cm)
- Height :
- 23 (cm)
- Depth :
- 19 (cm)
- Era:
- 21st century
- Style:
- Asian Art
- Materials:
- Terracotta
