Ewer

Artist Rookwood Pottery American, 1880 – 1967

Artistdecorated by Matthew A. Daly American, 1860–1937

Date1884

Mediumceramic

Dimensions28.9 cm (11 3/8 in.)

ClassificationsCeramics

Credit LineGift of the Paine Charitable Trust

Terms

Object number1965.201

DescriptionPainted by Matt A. Daly, 1884. Ginger-colored clay: blue glaze painted with a design of birds, bamboo, and clouds with touches of gold.Mark beneath foot, impressed in clay: 101 A MAD/ Rookwood/1884/G.Label TextU.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's 1853 arrival in Tokyo Bay with naval warships forced Japan to reopen trade relations with the West for the first time since the 17th century. This event opened the floodgates for artistic exchanges that profoundly affected both cultures. In the West, American and European artists began incorporating Japanese motifs, aesthetics, and techniques into their work.

Inspired by Japan's displays at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition (1876), Maria Longworth Nichols (1849-1932) established a pottery company in Cincinnati in 1880. Her Rookwood Pottery became a leading producer of Japanese-style ceramics—including these examples—particularly after hiring Kataro Shirayamadani (1865-1948), a Japanese porcelain painter.ProvenancePaine Charitable Trust

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