Provenance:
Goldmark Gallery, Rutland, 2009
Private Collection, Devon
Private Collection
Literature:
Sebastian Blackie et al., Ken Matsuzaki, Goldmark Gallery, Rutland, 2009, ill.no.66
A star of the post-war Japanese ceramics world, Matsuzaki's pots use a very wide range of glazes, materials and techniques to achieve an end result which always demands our engagement. Traditional forms are rendered anew in his hands and his mastery of the technical demands of his craft seem to allow a myriad of controlled outcomes even within the same media.
This chawan, or teabowl, is both delicate and rustic. The body is cut away to give a pleasing variation to the surface as it is held in the hand; it is lighter in weight than its size might suggest and as one turns it, the colours change from earthy browns to golds and yellows. Inside the glaze feels alive as it runs into the well and turns the simple act of drinking into a contemplative pleasure.
