Ex-Christies

Condition: Excellent

This is an absolutely rare black Seto chawan ( setoguro chawan ) from the late Momoyama Period, which means the late 16th century or the changeover from Azuchi Momoyama to early Edo.

Blackish-brown glaze amalgamates with a wild and roughly thrown body. It is very heavy for a tea bowl, almost 500g. Please note that there is also an interesting kiln mark ( watch image number 3 )

Setoguro yaki is high-fired ware that originated in the late 16th century...

Another stunning and important cultural highlight of our collection: distorted shoe shaped (kutsugata) tea bowl made of light, fine, unrefined Mino clay. Shape and style make it appear contemporary with the late Oribe bowls...

Another historical masterpiece in the development of Japanese culture: grey Shino Chawan, distorted cylindrical shape - hanzutsu, covered with a whitish Shino glaze over an iron oxide engobe, resulting in a beautiful grey shino glaze, which partly turns to red shino (aka shino).

A decoration of a branch with a leaf and berries on the front and a criss cross grass pattern on the back has been incised into the engobe resulting in white shino colored lines...

Distorted shoe shaped (kutsugata)tea bowl made of light, fine, unrefined Mino clay.

Shape and style (note the trimmed walls and the flaring mouth) make it appear contemporary with the late Oribe bowls.

The expertly thrown body is covered with the typical white, feldspatic Shino glaze which has been poured and under which a decoration of four cedar trees and grass on the reverse side have been applied in iron oxid (oni ita)...

What a great Chawan! Cylinder shaped (hanzutsu) tea bowl thrown on a kick wheel. The little iron oxide bearing clay has been fully (except the footring and its surrounding) covered with a wood ash glaze which reacted with the iron oxide in the clay.

The thick and glossy glaze (guinomi-de) has a fine beautiful crazing...

Half cylinder shaped (Hanzutsu) tea bowl, thrown from light, coarse Mino clay, with very little inclusions a clay found on earlier Shino bowls. The walls are cut with a potters knife.

The bowl has been covered fully (with the exception of the foot ring) first with an iron bearing engobe (oniita) and after the decoration had been incised with the typical ash and feldspar glaze inside and outside creating the nezumi-shino glaze...

Slightly distorted shoe shaped (kutsugata) tea bowl with a rounded brim, made of light, coarse, unrefined Mino clay. The expertly thrown body was trimmed with a potter's knife in its lower part around the foot ring.

In the style of Ao-Kuro bowls this bowl was covered with a green copper oxide glaze. Two windows on two sides were left unglazed...

Beautiful half cylinder shaped (hanzutsu) tea bowl from the early stage of the Edo Period (1603 - 1868) with a rounded brim, made of iron bearing, coarse, unrefined Narumi Mino clay. The expertly thrown body was trimmed with a potter's knife in its lower part.

The unglazed foot is relatively large...

Early 17th century (Edo Period 1603-1868) distorted shoe shaped (tsutsugata) white Shino Chawan with a rounded brim, made of light, coarse, unrefined Mino clay. The expertly thrown body was trimmed with a potter's knife in the lower part of the body and around the foot ring.

This bowl was covered with a white Shino type of ash glaze. Under the transparent glaze two young pine tries were painted in iron oxide.

The young pine tree decoration is a popular attribute of New Y...

Special autumn offer:

Another beautiful chawan from our familiy collection: square cylinder shaped (hanzutsu) tea bowl made of light, fine, unrefined Mino clay, with a flaring mouth in shape of a half pipe.

Shape and style make it appear contemporary with the late Oribe bowls. The expertly thrown body is covered with the typical black oniita engobe inside and outside - with the exception of the bottom - over which a white, feldspatic Shino glaze has been poured. Just the...