Japanese Painted Chawan Tea Bowl by Tannyu 10th Raku Edo Period

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An Aka-Raku Chawan (Red-Raku tea bowl) by Raku Tannyu (1795-1854), the tenth-generation head of the Raku kiln. The Raku family … Read more An Aka-Raku Chawan (Red-Raku tea bowl) by Raku Tannyu (1795-1854), the tenth-generation head of the Raku kiln. The Raku family established one of the longest lineages of potter family in Japan and probably the most important maker for tea ceremony ware with a now iconic style known as Raku ware.
Dated to the first half of 19th century toward the end of Edo period, the bowl was hand-molded in the classic Han-tsutsu-gata (half cylinder) form with a slight inverted ring and a surface with an unusual "pinched" texture. The reddish-orange glaze displays fine crackles and was decorated with a few strokes of painting that depicts an orchid. There is some white overglaze subtly accumulated on the pinched surface, rendering a softer appearance. The lower part of the interior features Chasenzure, a slightly sloped ring where the bamboo whisk (chasen) rubs against the bowl during whisking the tea powders. The interior bottom of the tea bowl has a round depression called "Chadamari", where the last drops of tea remain. The bowl is supported by a short flat foot ring, within which a prominent Kaijiri in the shape of Uzumaki was left by the potter (the hand-carved mark that looks like a spiral in some seashell). It was branded with "Raku" seal that enables to identify the maker as Tannyu. The abstract paint on the exterior was signed by a different artist apparently, but it has not yet been deciphered.
Reference: Raku Chawan by Tannyu was generally undecorated other than the glaze. Examples of the ones with surface decoration such as painting and incision do exist. A comparable Aka-Raku tea bowl by the same potter is in the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum in London 245 dash 1877. See less