Water Jar (Mizusashi) with Pine Trees

Attributed to Ogata Kenzan Japanese

Not on view

This mizusashi is a container that would have been used in the tea ceremony to hold freshwater to rinse the tea bowls or fill the kettle. The potter coated the dark clay ground of this jar in a white slip, providing a light background for painting. The trunks of the stylized pine trees were painted in almost calligraphic strokes, while the leafy tops seem almost like puffs of clouds.
The style is that of Ogata Kenzan (1663–1743), though this jar was probably produced by one of his followers. Kenzan was an amateur painter and potter active in the Edo period, and was known for his painterly, decorative wares.

Water Jar (Mizusashi) with Pine Trees, Attributed to Ogata Kenzan (Japanese, 1663–1743), Stoneware with underglaze iron oxide; lacquer cover, Japan

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Water Jar (Mizusashi) with Pine Trees, Attributed to Ogata Kenzan (Japanese, 1663–1743), Stoneware with underglaze iron oxide; lacquer cover, Japan
Water Jar (Mizusashi) with Pine Trees, Attributed to Ogata Kenzan (Japanese, 1663–1743), Stoneware with underglaze iron oxide; lacquer cover, Japan
Water Jar (Mizusashi) with Pine Trees, Attributed to Ogata Kenzan (Japanese, 1663–1743), Stoneware with underglaze iron oxide; lacquer cover, Japan

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