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Rosanjin Kitaoji Signed Shino Ware Sake Tea Cup with Original Signed Sealed Box

$2,995
£2,289.84
€2,637.43
CA$4,196.91
A$4,685.46
CHF 2,455.11
MX$57,354.62
NOK 31,179.92
SEK 29,398.71
DKK 19,683.41
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About the Item

An absolutely gorgeous Shino ware pottery sake/ teacup by Japanese master potter Kitaoji Rosanjin (1883-1959) who was arguably one of if not the greatest artists/ceramicists of the 20th century. Rosanjin (whose real name was Kitaoji Fusajiro. In 1922 he changed his name to Kitaoji Rosanjin which translates as “foolish mountain man”) was famed in Japan for many talents - calligrapher, ceramicist, engraver, painter, lacquer artist, and restaurateur. It is noted that Rosanjin had one of the greatest ceramics collections in Japan in the early part of the 20th century but the Great Tokyo earthquake of 1923 destroyed most of his personal collection so he began making pottery himself to replace it. In 1926 he established his own kiln in the Yamasaki neighborhood of Kamakura. In 1946, after the war, he continued to make his ceramics and art while also opening a restaurant in the Ginza district of Tokyo which catered to upper-echelon Americans. In 1951, he invited sculptor/artist Isamu Noguchi and his wife Yoshiko Otaka the actress to live on his property in Kamakura, where they stayed for several years. In 1954, Rosanjin accepted an invitation from the Rockefeller Foundation to hold a solo exhibition of his works in New York City at the Museum of Modern Art. Afterward, he visited Europe, where he would meet with the esteemed artists Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall. In 1955, one of his Oribe ware works was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan by the Japanese government. A few years later in 1959, Rosanjin was designated a Living National Treasure by the Japanese government but was one of the very few nominated people to indignantly decline the honor (he did so twice). The rumor was that he felt insulted that the Japanese government had offered this status to a former studio assistant of his first, and this was how he chose to express his dissatisfaction. The cup which features a shino glaze (which radiates in the light) and hand-brushed/painted bamboo reeds/ leaves decoration has Rosanjin's incised signature on the base and comes with the original signed and sealed wood protective box. The work has a Wabi-Sabi - the Japanese aesthetic of appreciating the beauty in objects that are imperfect, impermanent, asymmetrical, modest, and incomplete in nature - feel when held in your hand. Would clearly be the crown jewel of any Japanese Asian ceramics or art collection. Rosanjin's work has become quite rare and scarce to find, especially in such impeccable condition with the original wood box. A coveted work indeed. Cup dimensions: 2" High, 2.8" wide, 2.75" deep. Box dimensions: 3.5" High, 3.75" wide, 3.75" deep. .
  • Creator:
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 2 in (5.08 cm)Width: 2.8 in (7.12 cm)Depth: 2.75 in (6.99 cm)
  • Style:
    Showa (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1940s-1950s
  • Condition:
    In very good to excellent vintage condition with no discernable flaws, cracks, chips, etc... and light, if any wear consistent with age and use to box only (please see photos). Spectacular and unique overall.
  • Seller Location:
    Studio City, CA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2254328254022

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