Object number2008.15.4
Untitled
Portfolio/Seriesfrom the Shigaraki Series L
Date1993
Artist
Toshiko Takaezu
(American, 1922 - 2011)
CultureJapanese-American
MediumGlazed Stoneware
Dimensions7 x 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (17.78 x 13.97 x 13.97 cm)
Credit LineGift of the artist
On View
Not on viewPeriod20th c
Classification(s)
InscribedOn a rectangular artist's identification sticker, by unidentified hand, on the base at center in ink: 88 / SHIGARAKI / SERIES-L
MarkingsOn bottom, incised with artist's cipher at center with indistinct lines
BibliographyThe Art of Toshiko Takaezu. Jacksonville: The Nathan H. Wilson Center for the Arts, 1996, cat. 88 ProvenanceGift of the artistExhibition HistoryThe Art of Toshiko Takaezu, South Gallery, The Nathan H. Wilson Center for the Arts, Florida Community College at Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL, September 9 - October 15, 1996
Label TextOne of the twentieth century’s greatest ceramic artists, Toshiko Takaezu is best known for her “closed forms,” which she threw on the potter’s wheel and then sealed at the top, with only a tiny vent to allow air to escape in the blazing-hot kiln. On view here are three of the eight examples the artist donated to the Loeb, spanning a wide range of shape, size, and surface treatment. Takaezu was raised by Japanese parents who, before she was born, had relocated to Hawai’i, where she was raised speaking Japanese. During a 1993 visit to Shigaraki, a historic ceramic center in Japan, she used the distinctive clay of that region, which has scattered inclusions of quartz. These partially melt during firing, resulting in glinting, pearl-like protrusions seen on the surface of the small, warm reddish form. Working at the studio of fellow acclaimed ceramicist Nahamura Kimpei and the kiln at the Shigaraki Ceramic Culture Park, Takaezu made about thirty closed forms of this same modest size. She also created one large closed form that features expressive black brushstrokes, while most of the others are unadorned.
Adapted from the entry in Making & Meaning by Glenn Adamson
DescriptionRounded orange form with uneven glazing, a stippled-like texture with horizontal linear bands near the center, white dots, and a small lifted hole at the top. Terms
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