While this tea bowl is thoroughly contemporary in both its form and glazing, it nevertheless draws on a range of classically Japanese methods and traditions. As such it will serve to compliment beautifully the Oriental MuseumÂ’s existing collections. Born in Kyoto in 1948, Suzuki Tomio is one of the foremost living ceramicists working with shino glazes. Shino ware is notoriously difficult to make, with a failure rate of over 70% even in the hands of the most skilled of potters. As Suzuki Tomio observes,'Making shino requires the same deductive reasoning that detectives use to solve a mystery. They eliminate variables one-by-one until they find the answer. For me, it's the same. I'll try a new method, fail, and try another until I've found one that works.' This acquisition was presented by the Art Fund and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
More information
Title of artwork, date
Madara-kin shino ware chawan (tea bowl), 2011
Date supported
2012
Medium and material
Ceramic with wooden box and textile fukusa
Dimensions
14 x 9.2 cm
Grant
2195
Total cost
2195

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