Artwork Page for Gu-shaped Vase

Details / Information for Gu-shaped Vase

Gu-shaped Vase

1912–14

Seifū Yohei III 三代清風与平

(Japanese, 1851–1914)
Culture
Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)
Medium
Porcelain with crackled glaze
Measurements
27.9 cm (11 in.); Diameter of top: 14.6 cm (5 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of James and Christine Heusinger 2022.223
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Gu-shaped vases are relatively slender cylinders that flare at both the mouth and foot with orbs or drumlike forms partway up the vessel.

Description

Seifū Yohei III mined the repertoire of Chinese vessel types, from ceramics modeled after ancient ritual bronzes to shapes developed in the Yuan (1279–1368) and Ming (1368–1644) dynasties. His designs tended to be formal and restrained, often featuring creamy white glazes suggestive of the hue of Ding ware and green glazes resembling Longquan ware.

This gu-shaped vase has a cracked-ice glaze, which was once customarily called Ge (Japanese pronunciation Ka), after the kiln where it purportedly originated during the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279). The glaze’s double-crackle pattern, featuring both deeper and shallower cracks, is called “gold threads and iron lines.” The effect was enhanced here by coating the vessel with ink or another stain, which was allowed to seep into the cracks before the surface was wiped clean.
An off-white porcelain vessel features a tall, slender form flaring outward at the circular rim and base. A dense network of dark gray and black intersecting lines webs across the body in an irregular crackle pattern. The vessel tapers at the center before broadening slightly at the bottom edge. These web-like lines vary in thickness, streaking across the glazed surface to highlight the gentle curve of its silhouette.

Gu-shaped Vase

1912–14

Seifū Yohei III

(Japanese, 1851–1914)
Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)

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