18th century

Edo period

Raku ware clay with red slip under colorless glaze
H: 10.3 W: 11.0 cm
Kyoto, Japan

Gift of Charles Lang Freer F1898.444

The Kyoto calligrapher, connoisseur, and sword polisher Koetsu (1558–1637) created large, irregular tea bowls whose appealing forms inspired countless later copies. As Koetsu himself had done, the person who made this bowl probably collaborated with a professional Raku-ware workshop to have the bowl glazed and fired.