ca. 1878-1886

Koren,
Meiji era

Unglazed earthenware
H: 8.3 W: 12.6 cm
Tokyo, Japan

Gift of Charles Lang Freer F1900.115a-b

Using the studio name Koren, the woman artist Hattori Tsuna made hand-modeled boxes like this one as well as figurines, paperweights, and incense containers. Her work enjoyed great popularity among European collectors; this box once belonged to the French novelist Edmond de Goncourt (1822-1896). Her use of unglazed red clay may have been inspired by Chinese Yixing ware, but the design of a grapevine in high relief, with a section of the vine forming the handle, is derived from European silver traditions.