Tea bowl, named “Jewel Beetle”

17th century

Japanese, 1599 - 1656

Created by Donyu, the third-generation master potter of the Raku family, these two ceramic works were molded by hand without using a potter’s wheel and covered in an opaque red or black glaze without any decorative designs. Such simple and yet elegant tea utensils were prized by tea masters such as the famous Sen no Rikyu (1522–1591), who praised unpretentious beauty as superior to decorative opulence.

Earthenware with lead glaze; Raku ware

3 3/8 x 5 x 2 in. (8.6 x 12.7 x 5.1cm)

Gift of Dr. Masatoshi Okochi, Tokyo

52.68

Now on view at the Asian Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Tea House Gallery Installation", November 26, 2004 - January 30, 2006.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing.

Published ReferencesFuller, Richard E. "Japanese Art in the Seattle Art Museum: An Historical Sketch." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1960 ("Presented in commemoration of the Hundredth Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and the United States of America"), no. 150

Halper, Vicki. "Clay Revisions: Plate, Cup, Vase." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1987, fig. 9, p. 32

Abercrombie, Stanley and Sherrill Whiton, "Interior Design & Decoration", Pearson, Prentice Hall, 2008, p. 247

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