If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Lâjvardîna, from the Persian word lâjvard (lapis lazuli), is the name given to a luxury ware produced in Iran under Mongol rule (the Ilkhanid period). The clay body is a coarse gray fritware, fired first with a deep blue glaze, then decorated with gold leaf and overglaze painting in lighter blue and white slip and fired a second time in a special, low-temperature kiln. The effect of the second firing is to fuse the overglaze paint and gold with the glaze, creating a luxurious if not durable. This tile is decorated with a stylized plant clump that grows from one tip of the star to fill its entire surface.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Ten-panel screen depicting similar mountain scenes over changing seasons. A spring scene begins on the right, gradually changing over the ten images to winter on the left. In an upper corner of each scene is a corresponding seasonal poetic inscription. These images are created using ink and color on paper, which was mounted on the upper two-thirds of each panel of the screen.
Subject Matter
Mountain scene over depicted on ten folding screen panels over the changing seasons.
Label Copy
This large ten-panel screen depicts the passage of seasons in the mountains. The landscape is read from right to
left, beginning with two panels showing budding trees on mountains and rivers obscured by spring mist. The next three panels depict the lush greenery of summer, followed by three contrasting panels of colorful autumn leaves.
The year ends with the last two panels, which show winter’s desolate snow-capped peaks. Poetic inscriptions appropriate to each season enhance the views.
Yi was born poor in South Chungcheong Province but studied free of charge as a youth under An Chung-sik (1861–1919), a member of the last generation of Korean court artists who painted landscapes in the Chinese manner as
well as “true-views” of actual Korean scenery. Yi collaborated and prospered during the Japanese occupation of Korea, and elements of Japanese Nihonga painting—such as soft coloring, atmospheric washes, and delicate contours—may be seen
in this work. Although the scenes depicted are unspecific and rendered with traditional “axe-cut” brushstrokes, Yi’s affection for his native landscape and his emphasis on capturing its spirit through the seasons is also apparent.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
A squat, gracefully rounded pot with a mouth that is slightly smaller than the widest circumference of the pot, and a tapered base. The interior is colored white. There is a band of black along the brim. The exterior is decorated with a pattern of alternating squares: brownish-orange squares divided vertically by a white stripe broken by three thin black lines; and white squares divided diagonally with wave-like black shapes.
Subject Matter
An example of Pueblo pottery produced in the early twentieth century. It draws on traditional techniques and styles but was probably produced for the booming Native southwestern ceramic market.
Label Copy
March 28, 2009
You’re always talking to the pot when you are making it—telling it your feelings—and when you finish a pot you blow life into it and it is given life. —Wanda Aragon, contemporary Acoma potter
Acoma Pueblo is one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in North America. Here pottery has always been a feature of daily life and potters hold a respected position in society; their wares—both everyday and ritual—are considered sacred.
This open-mouthed vessel is an excellent example of early twentieth-century Acoma pottery. It is made using locally mined ground Acoma clay tempered with powdered pottery shards. This results in very strong clay that allows for thin-walled vessels. The pots are formed without a wheel using the coil method. After they are scraped, smoothed, and sanded, fine kaolin clay is used to produce a brilliant white slip (liquid clay) that provides a base for the polychrome designs characteristic of Acoma pottery.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
The Jokwe carved their hunting whistles to be functional, portable works of art. Jokwe hunters arranged the whistle's high-pitched notes into a simple code, which they used to summon their companions or call their dogs. A cord was strung through a hole, visible here on the neck of the tiny carved head, so the hunter could wear the whistle.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
"One of two Shigaraki potters most active in the modern movement to recreate the authentic appearance of medieval Shigaraki ware through the use of appropriate materials and firing techniques. Rakusai's importance to the development of contemporary ceramic production in Shigaraki parallels that of Kaneshige Tôyô and Fujiwara Kei in Bizen or Nakazato Muan in Karatsu. ... In 1964 Rakusai was honored, along with Ueda Naokata IV (1899-1975) with the designation of Important Intangible Cultural Property of Shiga Prefecture." [Louise Cort, Curator's notes on Sackler Art Gallery object #S1998.157, 5 October 1998]
"Rakusai also moved away from copies of Momoyama-period forms. In 1958 he won the grand prize at the Brussels Worlds Fair for a large medieval-style jar with innovative impressed-rope and combing decor (Cort, _Shigaraki Potters' Valley_ 1979, fig. 51). Rakusai hosted several American 'apprentices' in his workshop in the 1960s and 1970s, including John Stephenson and Peter Callas." [Louise Cort, Curator's notes on Sackler Art Gallery object #S1998.157, 3 May 1999]
Note: John Stephenson is a potter living and working in Ann Arbor, MI. — M. Graybill, 10/2001.
26.67 cm x 12 cm x 12 cm (10 1/2 in. x 4 3/4 in. x 4 3/4 in.)
Physical Description
The vase uses Shigaraki clay and the wood-firing process. The deformities and imperfections are intentional, and in Iga style. It has a lopsided lip edge at the top, with a deep indentation circling the vase just below it. The texture of this piece is splotchy and ridged, and the colors are earth tones, ranging from tans to dark, forest greens.
Subject Matter
This is a flower vase made at the kiln in Shigaraki.
Label Copy
Takahashi Rakusai III
Japan, 1898–1976
Vase
Showa period (1926–1989)
1960–63
Stoneware with natural ash glaze
Museum purchase, 1963/2.77
Plate
Showa period (1926–1989)
circa 1960
Stoneware with natural ash glaze
Museum purchase, 1963/2.76
Takahashi Rakusai III, who came from a long line of Shigaraki potters, employed the same clay and wood-firing technique used in the jars and vases prized by tea masters of the Momoyama period (1583–1615) to create powerful and whimsical wares for the modern era. Although this vase has a classic form, Takahashi achieves a dynamic effect through the combination of rough surface and green ash glaze. The rectangular plate is more playful: the dots on the unglazed, scorched top are areas that were protected from the flame by cylindrical clay spacers.
(Turning Point, Spring 2010)
Momoyama pots could be both an inspiration and a burden for twentieth-century Japanese potters. One way they found to express personal creativity within tradition was to mix and match allusions to different regional models. (An imperfect analogy would be contemporary furniture in a "Southwestern" style done in mahogany, or a Chippendale reproduction piece in teak.) In this flower vase, Takahashi Rakusai exploits all of the potential of Shigaraki clay and the wood-firing process: compare the texture and color of the vase to the sixteenth-century Shigaraki jar on the platform at right. The overall shape and deliberate deformities, however, are copied from the wares of the neighboring kiln at Iga.
Takahashi welcomed many American potters to his Shigaraki studio over the years and his work is well represented in Michigan collections.
Exhibited in "Japanese Costumes & Ceramics, Past & Present," October 2001-February 2002. Maribeth Graybill, Senior Curator of Asian Art
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Takahashi Rakusai III, who came from a long line of Shigaraki potters, employed the same clay and wood-firing technique used in the jars and vases prized by tea masters of the Momoyama period (1583–1615) to create powerful and whimsical wares for the modern era. Although this vase has a classic form, Takahashi achieves a dynamic effect through the combination of rough surface and green ash glaze. The rectangular plate is more playful: the dots on the unglazed, scorched top are areas that were protected from the flame by cylindrical clay spacers.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Square panel of raffia, cut-pile cloth; top is even, plush surface; intersecting linear pattern creates geometic diamond motifs in contrasting dark and light browns. Back is woven raffia cloth.
Subject Matter
The Kuba are renowned for their elaborate, geometrical surface design. One of the most impressive expressions of this aesthetic tradition is cloth made from raffia fiber. In the 19th century, decorated raffia cloth was a marker of prestige, used as currency, to pay tribute, settle legal disputes, and in public displays such as the funerals of high-ranking titleholders—a practice that continues today. Produced also for the international market, Kuba cloth—and imitations of its designs—can be found in shops and private collections all over the world.
Label Copy
March 28, 2009
Kuba artists apply their bold and sophisticated surface design to ceremonial and everyday objects alike. One of the most impressive expressions of this aesthetic tradition is cloth made from raffia fiber, a hardy and ubiquitous material that in Kuba thought symbolizes abundance and wealth. Decorated raffia cloth was used as currency and for public display at events such as the funerals of high-ranking titleholders—a practice that continues today. Men weave the base cloth, and women design, dye, and embroider it. Cloth designs are named, often after the women who created them, but in this case the name of the design is not known. Produced also for the international market, Kuba cloth—and imitations of its designs—can be found in shops and private collections around the world.
This cut-pile raffia cloth is typical of those made by the Shoowa, a Kuba subgroup. In cloth made for their own use, the Shoowa used an overall balanced pattern, a deep plush, and even lines. In cloth like this one, produced for the external market, artists juxtaposed different patterns and varied the fill-in designs.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
A dome-shaped cermaic lid for a bowl. Outfitted with a mushroom-shaped handle with a hole in the center. Carved details around the bowl are two circles, one smaller than the other, with a striped triangle pattern.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
