Page 52 - Christie's The Joseph Collection of Japanese Art

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A SHAPED DISH
SIGNED KENZAN [OGATA KENZAN (1663-1743)]
銹絵染付白彩藤文向付
銘 乾山 [尾形乾山 (1663-1743)]
The shallow stoneware dish in the form of a leaf decorated in underglaze blue, white
slip and rust brown iron oxide with wisteria, the reverse with a stylised grass design
15.5cm. wide
£25,000-30,000 $43,000-51,000
€31,000-37,000

Ogata Kenzan (1663-1743) is Japan’s most famous and celebrated potter. This
lot is an exceptional, early example of the decorative genius of Kenzan I and
represents the characteristics of his ceramics: playful, painterly and highly original.
Yet interestingly, it also shows the conscious reference to the Momoyama style in
the Edo period. We can fnd the irregularity of Oribe ware in the warping shape
and stylised design and the unrefned warmth of Karatsu ware in its soft grey
colour and the brown rim that also functions as the wisteria branch.

Kenzan pottery became a popular, long-lasting tradition stretching over several
centuries. There are many thousands of extant pots with Kenzan signature or seal,
complicating the dating and authentication. However, the strong brushwork of this
dish clearly shows that it is by Kenzan’s hand and dates from the potter’s Narutaki
period (1699-1712).
For similar examples see:
Miho Museum ed., Kenzan: Yusui to fuga no sekai [A World of Quietly Refned
Elegance], (2004), p. 149 and 270, no. 130 (the Miho Museum collection)
Sydney L. Moss Ltd., Odd Men Out: Unique Works of Art by Individualist Japanese
Artists, (Hong Kong, 1998), p. 89-90

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