Square Dish
Original Language Title濱田庄司 鉄絵角皿
Artist
Shōji Hamada
(Japanese, 1894 - 1978)
Date1961-1964
MediumGlazed stoneware
DimensionsOverall: 2 5/8 × 12 × 12 inches (6.67 × 30.48 × 30.48 cm)
Credit LineBequest of Mrs. George H. Bunting Jr.
Object number81-27/21
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionHeavily potted buff grey body moulded to a square shape with pronounced central depression surrounded by a heavy everted flat lip; interior of lips decorated with parallel striations; exterior and base covered with thick greyish white glaze; interior lips first glazed with iron-brown then with a layer of grayish white that also coveres the central depression, where a final brushing of iron-brown decorates the interior with a sprig of wild grass and blossom.Gallery LabelShoji Hamada said, "There are many ways of approaching work, but mine is action." Employing centuries-old production methods, his dish derives beauty from both its utilitarian function and its spontaneous decoration. Hamada and a group of artists initiated the mingei movement (folk crafts or people's crafts) to preserve traditional Japanese techniques and styles. These artists admired the individual quality of handmade works in contrast to the popularity of mass-produced objects.
With Mrs. George H. Bunting Jr. (née Karen Dean Bitler, 1912-1981), Mission Hills, KS, by August 1981;
Bequethed by Mrs. George H. Bunting Jr. to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, August 1981.
Copyright© Shōji Hamada Estate
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