ITO MOTOHIKO: A LARGE GILT- AND POLYCHROME-CLOTH IMPRESSED STONEWARE ‘MOUNTAINS AT DAWN’ BOWL

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ITO MOTOHIKO: A LARGE GILT- AND POLYCHROME-CLOTH IMPRESSED STONEWARE ‘MOUNTAINS AT DAWN’ BOWL By Ito Motohiko (b. 1939), sealed by the artist Japan, late 20th century Skillfully shaped, with deep, straight sides tapering toward the flat base. The surface roughly textured with a carefully cloth-impressed pattern executed in the ancient nunome technique, and, both exterior and interior, decorated with a thin layer of glaze exhibiting a nuanced chromatic gradation of ochre, off-white, and bluish tones, that coalesce into an irregular encircling motif, suggestive of a mountainous outline set beneath an atmospheric sky, with a shimmering golden finish. The underside, left unglazed, impressed with the artist’s seal. HEIGHT 15.7 cm, DIAMETER 37.2 cm With the original wood storage box (tomobako), signed and sealed by the artist. Ito Motohiko (b. 1939, Fukuoka) graduated in ceramics from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1966, where he studied under the distinguished ceramicists Kato Hajime (1900–1968) and Fujimoto Nodo (1919–1992). After completing his studies, he worked for a tile manufacturing company for two years before resigning to pursue further artistic training, first under Living National Treasure Matsui Kosei (1927–2003), and subsequently at the Ibaraki Pottery Research Center. In 1970, he established his own kiln in Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture. Since then, Ito has developed a sustained and accomplished career, marked by numerous solo exhibitions, including a major presentation in 2001 at the Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, as well as participation in group exhibitions at leading galleries in Japan. His work has been shown in prominent national institutions, such as the Ibaraki Prefectural Museum of Art, the Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, and the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, and internationally, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Ito undertook a decisive shift in his practice in 1973 by adopting the Nunome (cloth-imprinting) technique, which would become a defining feature of his ceramic production. Originally used as a practical method to facilitate the release of clay from molds, Ito reinterpreted this process to create richly textured surfaces of expressive visual complexity. Through early experimentation, he explored multiple variations of the technique, eventually developing a distinctive synthesis of iron painting and Nunome application. Furthermore, his work remains deeply informed by the natural environment of his native region, whose imagery is often evoked in the surface decoration of his ceramics.

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