Teabowl
Unknown Artist
ca. 1850
Medium
Clay with glaze (Izumo ware)
Dimensions
H. 2 3/8 in. (6 cm); Diam. 4 7/8 in. (12.4 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Gift of Howard Mansfield, 1936
Accession Number
36.120.506
Art Historical Context
This delicate teabowl, crafted around 1850 during Japan's Edo period (1615–8), exemplifies the refined artistry of Izumo ware from the Izumo region. Standing just 2⅜ inches high and 4⅞ inches in diameter, it is formed from clay and glazed, embodying the modest scale perfect for the intimate Japanese tea ceremony, or *chanoyu*. As part of the Metropolitan Museum Art's Asian Art collection it entered through the renowned Howard Mansfield Collection in 1936, reflecting early Western fascination with Japanese ceramics. Izumo ware, produced in what is now Shimane Prefecture, gained prominence in t...