Vintage Blue and Turquoise Japanese Hishikigama Water Basin/Ikibana Vessel

Description

Mid/Late 20th c., Japan, blue glazed water basin/ikebana vessel, stamped on underside.

The ceramic has an angular, L-shaped form. The … more Mid/Late 20th c., Japan, blue glazed water basin/ikebana vessel, stamped on underside.

The ceramic has an angular, L-shaped form. The outer part is covered with a deep blue glaze, and the interior has a bright, glossy turquoise glaze. The interior glaze shows a cascading drip effect along the sides, which gives the piece a flowing, organic feel. This color combination is quite striking and reflects both contemporary design and traditional Japanese glaze techniques.

The outer edges are ridged with vertical lines, adding a tactile dimension to the piece. This bamboo-like texture contrasts with the smooth, glossy interior, creating visual and textural interest.

The piece is a fine example of Japanese contemporary ceramics.

Dimensions:
11.5"l x 8"w x 2.5"h

Condition
Good, some crazing consistent with age and use.

Provenance:
The Collection of visual artist Lewis Stein, NYC

Literature
Artist Lewis Stein (1945-2022) was an original SOHO pioneer working and collecting from his Broome Street loft over a five decade career. Inspired by artists like Marcel Duchamp and Andy Warhol, he started taking common household objects, like cleavers and hammers, and painting them in bright garish colors. In the late 1960s, he met dealer Dick Bellamy, who introduced his work to the gallerists who gave him his first exposure, including David Whitney in New York, Nicholas Wilder in Los Angeles, and Rolf Ricke in Cologne. A practitioner of Zen Buddhism, Stein made his first of many trips to mainland China in 1975, where he discovered and made an aesthetic connection to traditional Chinese Arts. Over the decades Stein amassed a formidable collection of Asian artifacts and a reputation for scholarly connoisseurship. less