2004

Vase

Japanese, born 1950

The sheer perfection of this work's thin-walled potting and clear blue glaze is the hallmark of Kawase Shinobu's porcelain. He was originally inspired by the Chinese ceramics of the Song dynasty (680-906), but the sculptural forms of his vessels are uniquely his own. Although Kawase did not specify his intent, the trumpet-mouthed vase suggests a calla lily, the edges of its petals gracefully curving outward.