Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912) / 1887–92
High-Footed Bowl with Lotus Pond
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs High-Footed Bowl with Lotus Pond as ceramic (Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912) · 1887–92).
This high-footed bowl simulates exploration of a pond both from underwater and from the sky.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this ceramic as Porcelain with underglaze color and modeled designs and credits Seifū Yohei III (Japanese, 1851–1914).
The museum's collection notes: Seifū Yohei III was the most prominent head of a ceramics studio in Kyoto that specialized in Chinese-style porcelains and especially items for use in sencha (煎茶), or the drinking of steeped-leaf tea with companions. Sencha was popular among the bunjin of Kyoto and Osaka, who often enjoyed it as part of their emulation of Chinese culture. While sencha was by design less formal than the Japanese tea ceremony, it still featured the display of treasured objects. Prized Chinese antiquities were generally unobtainable, so substitutes such as the Gu-Shaped Flower Vase, CMA 2022.224 , were much in demand. Bowls for distributing sweets, like this one
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtHigh-Footed Bowl with Lotus PondOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.