Clog-shaped tea bowl (kutsu-gata chawan) with plum blossoms and geometric patterns

Clog-shaped tea bowl (kutsu-gata chawan) with plum blossoms and geometric patterns

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This tea bowl’s intentionally deformed shape recalls an ancient Japanese clog (kutsu). After shaping the bowl on the wheel, the potter created an irregular, asymmetrical form that would fit perfectly into the tea practitioner’s palms. The bold, stylized, and abstract patterns of plum blossoms, lines, and grids were applied with quick strokes. Drippings of the white slip and the iron-black enhance the tactility of the bowl’s surface.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Clog-shaped tea bowl (kutsu-gata chawan) with plum blossoms and geometric patternsClog-shaped tea bowl (kutsu-gata chawan) with plum blossoms and geometric patternsClog-shaped tea bowl (kutsu-gata chawan) with plum blossoms and geometric patternsClog-shaped tea bowl (kutsu-gata chawan) with plum blossoms and geometric patternsClog-shaped tea bowl (kutsu-gata chawan) with plum blossoms and geometric patterns

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.