Suzuki Osamu (Japanese, 1926–2001). <em>Vessel</em>, ca. 1960. Glazed porcelain, 6 11/16 × 5 1/2 × 3 9/16 in. (17 × 14 × 9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Partial gift of Steven Korff and Marcia Van Wagner and Bertram H. Schaffner Asian Art Fund, 2020.1.3 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2020.1.3_overall_PS11.jpg)

Vessel

Artist:Suzuki Osamu

Medium: Glazed porcelain

Geograhical Locations:

Dates:ca. 1960

Dimensions: 6 11/16 × 5 1/2 × 3 9/16 in. (17 × 14 × 9 cm)

Collections:

Accession Number: 2020.1.3

Image: 2020.1.3_overall_PS11.jpg,

Catalogue Description:
Small J-shaped flower vessel on a flaring foot. The piece consists of a squared tube of clay, closed at the bottom, that curves up to form a "J." The opening rim is torn and irregular. The exterior is glazed in white. The interior is either unglazed or slip-painted in reddish brown. On the convex side of the curve is a dripping splash of bright blue glaze with an incised circle inside an incised square, colored in black, on top. Suzuki was celebrated for his wide range of innovative forms, many of which were sculptural and playful, as seen in this early piece. He was a founder of the Sodeisha movement of Japanese ceramics, which promoted clay as a sculptural medium and encouraged an engagement with Modernist aesthetics. This piece is typical of the early years of that movement. Accompanied by a traditional wood storage box signed and sealed by the artist.

Brooklyn Museum