Storage Jar
The red color of this jar comes from iron in the clay. Natural ash glaze settled on the vessel during firing. The rim would have been complete with a slightly flared lip. Around the collar is an incised pattern resembling cypress fences, a common scene in the Japanese landscape. Intended for grain storage, rustic vessels like this one were also prized by tea enthusiasts, who appreciated the uncalculated beauty of the glaze and the asymmetry of these humble vessels.
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Dimensions
- height: height 0.457 m; diameter: height 0.42 m
- Department
- Japanese Art
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- John L. Severance Fund
Art Genome Taxonomy
10 tags
Visual Qualities
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Rough Visual · 99%
The vessel has a coarse, granular, uneven surface with visibly varied glaze coverage and numerous irregular deposits.
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Earth Tones Both · 98%
The surface is dominated by brown, rust-red, ocher, gray, and olive tones; the catalog attributes the red coloration to iron in the clay.
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Asymmetrical Both · 91%
The rim and profile are visibly irregular, and the catalog specifically discusses the asymmetry valued in rustic vessels of this type.
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Patterns Both · 98%
An incised band with intersecting linear motifs encircles the collar; the catalog identifies it as a pattern resembling cypress fences.
Medium and Techniques
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Glass and Ceramics Both · 94%
The catalog specifies stoneware with natural ash glaze, while the image clearly shows a fired ceramic surface.
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Focus on Materials Metadata · 87%
The museum description emphasizes the iron in the clay, natural ash deposited during firing, and the resulting material effects of the glaze.
Time Periods
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15th Century Art Metadata · 95%
The catalog gives a date of late 1300s–1400s, with a date range from 1392 to 1499, encompassing the 15th century.
Geographic Regions
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Japanese Art Metadata · 99%
The catalog identifies the place of origin as Japan and the department classification as Japanese Art.
Materials
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Ceramic Both · 99%
The object is visibly a fired clay vessel, and the catalog identifies its classification as Ceramic and its medium as stoneware with natural ash glaze.
Tableware, Vessels, and Objects
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Vessel Both · 99%
The image shows a large hollow jar with a defined mouth, and the museum catalog identifies it as a storage jar intended for grain storage.
Source & rights
Unknown artist. Storage Jar. Cleveland Museum of Art.