Accession Number
1954/1.533A&B

Title
Tea caddy "large sea" (daikai) in brown & black glaze, with silk pouch

Artist(s)
Seto Shunkei II

Object Creation Date
17th century - 18th century

Medium & Support
stoneware with brown and black glaze, ivory lid

Dimensions
1 13/16 in. x 3 1/16 in. x 3 1/16 in. ( 4.6 cm x 7.8 cm x 7.8 cm )

Credit Line
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker

Subject matter
Chairé (tea caddies) are used to store finely ground tea powder. Usually made of dark clay and glazes without ostentatious decorations, tea caddies are highly prized in the wabi tea ceremony, in which simplicity and a refined rusticity are cultivated and often contrasted with more opulent styles. The culture of wabi was widespread among the samurai class and was often marked by an intricate layering of materials, meanings, and both visual and literary puns.
This tea caddy is a type called daikai (“large sea”). Shifuku (silk pouches) here are prized pieces of art and would have been presented along with the tea caddy at a ceremony.

Physical Description
This squat tea caddy is decorated with brown glaze with splotches of black. It is capped with a round ivory lid with a small circular knob-handle.

Primary Object Classification
Ceramic

Primary Object Type
tea caddy

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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