NAKASHIMA HIROSHI (LIVING NATIONAL TREASURE): AN EXCEPTIONAL RU-TYPE CELADON CRACKLE-GLAZED STONEWARE JAR

拍品描述

NAKASHIMA HIROSHI (LIVING NATIONAL TREASURE): AN EXCEPTIONAL RU-TYPE CELADON CRACKLE-GLAZED STONEWARE JAR By Nakashima Hiroshi (1941-2018), signed by the artist Japan, Heisei period (1989-2019) Skillfully potted, the globular body gracefully curving toward the base and rising to sloping shoulders, encircled by stepped striations, that ascend toward a tapered neck with a raised rim and broad circular mouth. The surface is uniformly covered in a sky-blue celadon glaze, finely crackled, which stops just above the foot to reveal the brown-stained ceramic beneath. The recessed base incised with the artist’s signature. HEIGHT 27.3 cm, DIAMETER 25.5 cm Nakashima Hiroshi (1941-2018), born in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture, was a distinguished master ceramist celebrated for his expertise in celadon glazes. Raised in one of the earliest porcelain-producing regions in Japan, he developed a lifelong fascination with historic ceramics, beginning his study of celadon ware in the late 1960s. His early works followed the style of Song-dynasty Chinese celadon, and over time he drew inspiration from the forms and patterns of ancient Chinese bronzes, gradually creating a distinctive style that emphasizes the scale and presence of each vessel, while selecting celadon glazes that harmonize with the shape of each piece. Widely recognized in Japan with numerous awards and honors, he received the title of Living National Treasure in 2007 for his singular mastery of celadon ceramics. This stoneware vase is consciously executed in imitation of the highly esteemed Ru ware of the Imperial Chinese Song dynasty, one of the five ‘official’ wares of the period. It exemplifies an exceptional level of technical mastery and meticulous attention to detail in evoking the hallmarks of Song Imperial ceramics, notably the soft, unctuous quality of the lustrous glaze and the deliberately left unglazed foot, which has been subtly stained a rich brown. The vessel also exemplifies the engagement of the artist with archaic bronze prototypes, a subject to which Hiroshi devoted extensive scholarly and practical study in his ceramic production. In this instance, the form draws clear inspiration from the canonical bronze wine vessels (hu) of the Eastern Zhou and Western Han dynasties. Museum comparison: Compare a related blue celadon-glazed striated stoneware vase, by Nakashima Hiroshi, Heisei period, c. 2016, exhibited in the 51st Western Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition, 2016.

图片