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Photo: Paul Macapia
Tea bowl with tortoiseshell decoration
Photo: Paul Macapia

Tea bowl with tortoiseshell decoration

Date13th century
Label TextThe tortoiseshell pattern on the exterior was achieved by splashing wood ash or bamboo ash on the surface of the dark glaze before firing. The ash was likewise applied on the interior, except for the areas covered by phoenix-shaped stencils.
Object number36.6
ProvenancePurchased by Emma Stimson, Seattle, Washington, 1936; to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1936
Photo CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Chinese Art: A Seattle Perspective, Dec. 22, 2007 - July 26, 2009. Tokyo, Japan, Suntory Museum of Art, Luminous Jewels: Masterpieces of Asian Art From the Seattle Art Museum, July 25 - Sept. 6, 2009 (Kobe, Japan, Kobe City Museum, Sept. 19 - Dec. 6, 2009; Kofu, Japan, Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art, Dec. 23, 2009 - Feb. 28, 2010; Atami, Japan, MOA Museum of Art, Mar. 13 - May 9, 2010; Fukuoka, Japan, Fukuoka Art Museum, May 23 - July 19, 2010). Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Luminous: The Art of Asia, Oct. 13, 2011 - Jan. 8, 2012.Published ReferencesKawai, Masatomo, Yasuhiro Nishioka, Yukiko Sirahara, editors, "Luminous Jewels: Masterpieces of Asian Art From the Seattle Art Museum", 2009, The Yomiuri Shimbun, catalogue number 74 Clysdale, Heather Colburn, The International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, "Journal", Autumn 2008, pg. 11 Fuller, Richard E. "A Gift to the City." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1993, p. 23 "Selected Works." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1991, p. 162 "Handbook, Seattle Art Museum: Selected Works from the Permanent Collections." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1951, p. 68 (b&w)
Credit LineThomas D. Stimson Memorial Collection
DimensionsH: 2 3/4in. (7cm) Diameter (Diam.): 5 1/8in. (13cm)
MediumJizhou ware, stoneware with brown, yellow-brown glazes, and a stenciled decoration
Chinese
12th-13th century
Object number: 2005.188
Photo: Elizabeth Mann
Japanese
early 20th century
Object number: 91.111
Tea bowl with "hare's fur" decoration
Chinese
1127-1279
Object number: 50.35
Photo: Susan Cole
Chinese
12th-13th century
Object number: 2005.189
Photo: National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea
Korean
19th century
Object number: 96.24
Photo: National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea
Korean
13th-14th century
Object number: 33.204
Oil plate
Japanese
Object number: 92.47.36
Oil plate
Japanese
Object number: 92.47.42
Oil plate
Japanese
Object number: 92.47.58
Photo: Scott Leen
Chinese
ca. 1195
Object number: 2023.11.187
Photo: National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea
Korean
early 16th century
Object number: 81.92