Incense Burner

The incense burner by Suzuki Osamu features a foliate-shaped lid, ringed with "petals," and a cylindrical body supported by smaller, petal-shaped "feet" that surround the circumference of the base. The entire piece is covered with a translucent pale blue celadon glaze. One of the most representative potters of post-war Japan, Suzuki was born in the Gojō-zaka district of Kyoto. Trained in pottery throwing techniques by his father from an early age, he decided to become a ceramic artist after World War II, and established the avantgarde ceramist group Sōdeisha ("Crawling through mud") in 1948, along with other young talented artists such as Yagi Kazuo and Yamada Hikaru, to develop a new sculptural expression in clay. The bluish-white porcelain (seihakuji) also form part of Suzuki’s repertoire and features the same themes as his muted, abstract Shigaraki forms as well as some functional pieces such as vases and bowls.