Song of the Sea incense burner
Artist
Miyashita Zenji
(Japanese, 1939 – 2012)
Date1993
PeriodHeisei period (1989–2019)
MediumClay, pigments
DimensionsOverall: 3 15/16 × 7 1/2 × 8 1/4 in. (10 × 19 × 21 cm)
ClassificationsCeramics
Credit LineMuseum purchase with funds from the David J. Patten Asian Art Fund, 2021
Object number2021.46
The kōro, or incense burner, is an essential accessory for its enjoyment of incense, which has been used for ritual and secular purposes in Japan since around the 6th century. Using his signature saidei (colored clay) method, Kyoto potter Miyashita Zenji reinterpreted this ancient form. He applied thin, overlapping layers of clay tinted with mineral pigments, ranging from pale peach on the lid to darkest indigo at the base. The undulating bands of graduated colors evoke the sun rising or setting over waves, or among those familiar with Japanese culture, decorated papers used for poetry or multi-layered court robes from Heian period (794–1185). The playful form may bring to mind a jellyfish, or when lit, a smoking undersea volcano.
On View
Not on view
8th century
late 3rd century BCE–early 3rd century CE
8th century
late 19th cen.
late 19th century
