Accession Number
2003/2.11A&B

Title
Square covered incense container with handpainted flowers and lid

Artist(s)
Kawai Kanjirô

Object Creation Date
circa 1938-1941

Medium & Support
stoneware with blue, copper and lead underglaze painting and translucent glaze

Dimensions
2 1/2 in x 3 11/16 in x 3 1/8 in (6.35 cm x 9.37 cm x 7.94 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Stephen H. Spurr

Label copy
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
incense container.

Physical Description
square incense container with lid. Blue copper, and lead underglaze painting is used on each of the four sides and lid under translucent glaze.

Primary Object Classification
Ceramic

Primary Object Type
incense burner

Additional Object Classification(s)
Decorative Arts

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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