Artist:Mori Togaku
Medium: Bizen ware: stoneware with natural ash glaze and scorch marks
Dates:ca. 1987
Dimensions: 11 7/16 × 11 13/16 in. (29 × 30 cm)
Collections:
Accession Number: 2020.1.4
Image: CUR.2020.1.4_edited.jpg,
Catalogue Description: Large round bottle with globular body, narrow neck and wide, flaring rim. This shape is called a kabura, or turnip shape. The rim, neck, and upper shoulder are dark red from carefully manipulated kiln conditions. Immediately below that is a ring of lighter, unmarked clay, and below that is a thinner coating of grayer ash glaze that runs the length of the body. Dark red "drip" effects -- actually scorch marks from materials wrapped around the neck before firing -- run down the shoulders of the vessel. Mori Togaku is a master of creating kiln effects such as ash glazing and scorch marks, both of which are traditional ornaments in Bizen ware. He fires in a mammoth traditional wood-fired kiln. The fact that the piece is stamped twice by the artist suggests that it he was particularly enthusiastic about it. Accompanied by a traditional wood storage box with artist's signature and seal.