Incense Container in the Shape of a Flower

Accession Number
2010/1.220

Title
Incense Container in the Shape of a Flower

Artist(s)
Kōyama Kiyoko

Object Creation Date
circa 2000

Medium & Support
stoneware with natural ash glaze

Dimensions
2 5/8 in x 2 1/16 in x 1 15/16 in (6.67 cm x 5.24 cm x 4.92 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of the artist

Subject matter
This is an incense container. The artist, Koyama Kyoko, struggled as a female potter in a trade dominated by male artists. She received recognition when she discovered a way to revive the forgotten techinique of natural ash glazes, which are commonly used in her work.

Physical Description
Flower shaped incesnse container consisting of two halves, which open horizontally, and fit together very precisely. Decorated with ash glaze, which gives the pottery a deep red color, deeper on the top and slightly lighter on rest of the container, with black as an accent color primarily on two sides of the container in a line going from the top of the piece to the bottom. The top of the container is very dramatically textured is a symetrical series of ridges which create the petals and shape of the flower.

Primary Object Classification
Ceramic

Primary Object Type
incense burner

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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Keywords
ceramic ware (visual works)
ceramics (object genre)
flower (motif)
pottery (visual works)
stoneware (pottery)

& Author Notes

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