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Artworks
artisan's name unknown
hi-ire, Early Meiji period, Late 1800sceramic vessel
3-1/2”h x 4”w x 4”dCalled hi-ire, this object is a small vessel whose only purpose is to hold some ash and a tiny charcoal from which waiting guests could light their pipe tobacco before...Called hi-ire, this object is a small vessel whose only purpose is to hold some ash and a tiny charcoal from which waiting guests could light their pipe tobacco before being invited inside the tea room. Notice the obsessive compulsive blue décor by a master craftsperson running all around it? Even removed from its traditional and functional setting in the Way of Tea, the object stands up on its own.
Beyond a humble charcoal holding pot, I feel the convergence of the artisan’s and connoisseur’s mutual obsession. Is you obsession for beauty reflects theirs?
