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.
56.2 cm x 46 cm x 0.5 cm (22 1/8 in. x 18 1/8 in. x 3/16 in.)
Label Copy
Pine, bamboo and plum are the "three friends of winter": pines are always green (a symbol of longevity), bamboo do not bend with the weight of snow (integrity), and plum flowers bloom in the midst of winter (fortitude). Here these popular motifs have been embroidered onto a rose-dyed silk crepe. The black threads that once outlined the tree trunk have mostly fallen away; they were dyed with iron, which oxidizes and rots the threads with exposure to light.
Metallic embroidery thread came into use in the seventeenth century. It was made by wrapping tiny strips of gold- or silver-foil coated paper around a silk or cotton fiber. Because it could not be passed through the cloth without damage, it was laid on top of the fabric and couched down at intervals with silk thread.
Exhibited in "Japanese Costumes & Ceramics, Past & Present," October 2001-February 2002. Maribeth Graybill, Senior Curator of Asian Art
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.
56.2 cm x 46 cm x 0.5 cm (22 1/8 in. x 18 1/8 in. x 3/16 in.)
Label Copy
Chirimen is a heavily textured silk crepe with a puckered and ribbed surface. It was introduced to Japan from China in the sixteenth century, and came into prominence in the late seventeenth century with the development of paste-resist dyeing techniques. In paste-resist dyeing the design is either drawn freehand or stenciled onto the fabric, in a thick paste that seals the fabric against the dyestuff. After the dye has set, the fabric is washed vigorously in cold water. The paste dissolves, leaving a design in white. Paste-resist stencil dyeing allows for mass production, and was therefore frequently used in textiles for commoners in early modern times. The tiny circle motifs in this fragment are an imitation of tie-dyeing, a much more labor-intensive process.
Exhibited in "Japanese Costumes & Ceramics, Past & Present," October 2001-February 2002. Maribeth Graybill, Senior Curator of Asian Art
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.
This plate has durable body and protective glazed surface. Seven brown ring-like patterns (said to be modeled after horse eyes) decorate the inner rim of the large plate. The outermost edge is ringed in brown.
Subject Matter
One of the world’s oldest and largest ceramic production sites remaining today, Seto has produced both high quality tea ceremony wares and utilitarian potteries. This plate, called ishi zara (stone plate), is a good example of the everyday type of Seto ware.
Label Copy
One of the world's oldest and largest ceramic production sits remaining today, Seto has produced both high quality tea ceremony wares and utilitarian pottery. This plate, called ishi zara (stone plate) for its durable body and impenetrable glazed stone-like surface, is a good example of the everyday type of Seto ware. The ring-like patterns--a common decoration on ishi zara--are said to be modeled after horse's eyes. This large plate was used for serving generous portions of food.
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Seto Ware plate
Japan, Edo period
(1615–1868)
late 18th–19th century
Stoneware, iron, and white slip painting with clear glaze
Gift of Dr. Walter R. Parker, 1942.5
One of the world’s oldest and largest ceramic production sites remaining today, Seto has produced both high-quality tea ceremony wares and utilitarian pottery. This plate, called ishi zara (stone plate) for its durable body and impenetrable glazed stone-like surface, is a good example of the everyday type of Seto ware. The ring-like patterns—a common decoration on ishi zara—are said to be modeled after horse eyes. This large plate was used for serving generous portions of food.
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.
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.
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.
This squat bowl is not smooth but has subtle irregularities in texture and shape, intentionally highlighted by the brilliant red glaze.
Subject Matter
Since the late sixteenth century, red has competed with black as a favored color for teabowls. Red bowls come in an astonishingly wide range of colors, from a rusty orange to a pale pink. They are made with a clear glaze over red slip (thin, watery clay). Although this bowl bears a seal reading “raku,” here it probably indicates the style rather than the maker of the bowl. Similarities to pottery made in western Japan suggest that this bowl may come from a workshop in the Hagi or Karatsu area. The bowl demonstrates the wide appeal of the Raku technique to tea practitioners of late Edo-period Japan.
Label Copy
Since the late sixteenth century, red has competed with black as a favored color for Raku ware tea bowls. Red Raku bowls come in an astonishingly wide range of colors, from a rusty orange to a pale pink. They are made with a clear glaze over red slip (thin, watery clay). The term Raku in Japanese pottery can refer either to a lineage of makers or to a style: here it probably indicates the style rather than the maker of the bowl. Similarities to pottery made in western Japan suggest that this bowl may come from a workshop in the Hagi or KAratsu area. The bowl demonstrates the wide appeal of the Raku technique to tea practitioners of late Edo-period Japan.
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Raku ware shallow tea bowl
Japan, Edo period
(1615–1868)
19th century
Earthenware with red glaze
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker, 1954/1.536
Since the late sixteenth century, red has competed with black as a favored color for Raku ware tea bowls. Red Raku bowls come in an astonishingly wide range of colors, from a rusty orange to a pale pink. They are made with a clear glaze over red slip (thin, watery clay). The term Raku in Japanese pottery can refer either to a lineage of makers or to a style: here it probably indicates the style rather than the maker of the bowl. Similarities to pottery made in western Japan suggest that this bowl may come from a workshop in the Hagi or Karatsu area. The bowl demonstrates the wide appeal of the Raku technique to tea practitioners of late Edo-period Japan.
(6/28/10)
Box inscription: "hira aka chawan" (shallow red tea bowl). Raku seal needs further research.
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.
