Brilliant Clog-Form Ceramic Tea Bowl by Toshiko Takaezu

One of the most beautiful ceramic tea bowls (chawan) by Japanese American artist Toshiko Takaezu (American, 1922 - 2011) we have handled. The hand-built bowl, with its waist tucked in and out of the perfect round, was inspired by the thick-walled clog form Chawan from Mino wares of Momoyama period. The surface is covered with a wonderful earthy tone glaze with subtle but extremely attractive layering's and drippings. Lighter beige colored glaze from the upper portion of the bowl forms mottled layers resembling the geological formation of the earth itself. Several bold streaks drip down the exterior wall and crystalize in a white pearl droplet with the texture akin to feldspar. The interior was covered in a lighter brown glaze with significant mottled effect. The base was marked by the artist's incised cypher as shown.
Heavily influenced by the Japanese ceramic tradition and aesthetics, the artist sought out a new sense of wabi-sabi. The form of this bowl and the effect of the glaze, seemingly random but masterfully controlled, make this bowl a superb example of the artist's work as well as the underlying philosophy.