Incense Burner with Silver Cover
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Object Label
The unusual texture and rich color of this vessel are unique in contemporary Japanese ceramics. Kondo has applied a cobalt glaze over a white porcelain body and then used an amalgam of silver, gold, and platinum to achieve the beaded surface effects. The artist belongs to a third-generation porcelain producing family in Kyoto. His grandfathers Kondo Yuzo (1902–1985) received Japan's highest title, National Living Treasure.
Caption
Kondo Takahiro Japanese, born 1958. Incense Burner with Silver Cover, 2001. Porcelain with cobalt glaze and overglaze decoration, 3 3/4 x 5 3/4 x 2 3/8 in. (9.5 x 14.6 x 6.0 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchase gift of Dr. and Mrs. Richard Dickes, 2001.30a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2001.30a-b_SL3.jpg)
Collection
Collection
Artist
Title
Incense Burner with Silver Cover
Date
2001
Period
Heisei Period
Geography
Place made: Kyoto, Japan
Medium
Porcelain with cobalt glaze and overglaze decoration
Classification
Dimensions
3 3/4 x 5 3/4 x 2 3/8 in. (9.5 x 14.6 x 6.0 cm)
Signatures
Signed on base in English: "Kondo"
Credit Line
Purchase gift of Dr. and Mrs. Richard Dickes
Accession Number
2001.30a-b
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
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Frequent Art Questions
Why are the slots all different sizes? What type of incense would they use?
I think it is just an aesthetic choice, different sized holes would create different shapes of smoke and perhaps offer a more beautiful smoky compositionI believe you could burn whatever kind of brick incense strikes your fancy.Can you tell us what this is?
This box is a very beautiful incense burner. The rectangle with slots in the top is the lid. Burning incense would be placed inside and smoke would rise through the slots.Made in 2001, this incense burner represents a modernist interpretation of traditional materials and objects. It's made of the same kind of porcelain as many of the blue-and-white ceramics you see nearby and is colored with cobalt as well.What’s the “overglaze” decoration on this incense burner, please?
The overglaze is actually one of the artist's signature techniques, the "silver mist" glaze, also known as "gintekisai." This technique uses metals to create droplets of different sizes on the surface of porcelain work.The metals used are an amalgam of silver, gold, and platinum. He first glazes the work with the blue cobalt you see here and then overglazes with these metals, which bead on the surface as you see here.Hi! My name is Siena. I was wondering how the incense would be inserted in this burner. Through the slots or does it use cones instead of sticks?
That whole piece on the top, with the slots, is actually a cover that could be removed. This type of burner likely uses bricks or cones that would be lit once inside. The smoke would escape through the vented top.That's cool! Thanks!
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