A Porcelain Bowl by Imperial Court Artist Suwa Sozan (1851-1922)
- Artist:
- Suwa Sozan (1851-1922)
- Era:
- Meiji
- Price:
- SOLD
- Inquire:
- Contact gallery
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Here we see a Chinese style celadon floral bowl by one of the 5 Imperial Court Artists of Meiji. The potter, Sozan, spent his life perfecting techniques for celadon production first used in the Southern Song Dynasty as evidenced here with his powdery blue “kinuta” glaze. The low-relief floral design really brings an elegance to this work and the celadon glaze seems to have an inner radiance all its own.
Sozan (the first) was born in an area of what is known today as Ishikawa prefecture in 1851. After a short stint in the military he took up pottery design and started painting under Touda Tokuji in 1873. From this point forward, he divided his time mainly between Kanazawa and Tokyo working at a number of kilns and research institutes. While in Tokyo, he made the acquaintance of famed conservator of Japanese art Ernest Francisco Fenollosa and the two became fast friends. In 1900 Sozan was invited to Kyoto to work at the Kinkozan kiln where he became noticed for his great skill in creating fine porcelain and celadon works. Several years later in 1907, he set up an independent porcelain and ceramics kiln on Gojo-zaka in Kyoto where he specialized in making a variety of porcelain pieces, most noted of which were his fine powdery-blue celadon pieces modeled after classic Chinese forms like the one seen here. In 1917, Sozan was awarded the title of “Teishitsu Gigei-in” or Imperial Court Artist—what could be considered a precursor to the modern day “Ningen Kokuho” or National Living Treasure.
In fine antique condition, this piece is 7.6 inches in diameter (19.2cm) and stands 2.7 inches tall (6.8cm). It has Sozan’s stamp clearly impressed on the base and comes in its original box signed and sealed by this Imperial Court Artist. In addition, we can see a certification of authenticity by the 3rd generation Sozan on the underside of the lid. *** International shipping and insurance included in the price
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