Ritas Bazaar has dated this Japanese Sumida Ware Pitcher to the 1900s.
The low-fired red earthenware body is wheel-thrown with pronounced horizontal ribbing, of tall tapering cylindrical form with a pinched pouring lip and a long arched strap handle.
The upper section and handle are covered with a lustrous treacle-brown drip glaze streaked with blue, cream and grey, descending in an irregular curtain over the ribbed brick-red engobe ground in the manner of Chinese Shiwan (Shekwan) stoneware.
Applied and modelled in high relief, a humorous narrative scene wraps the body: a figure perched on a rocky ledge above tips a stoneware jar, sending a long stream of sake down the side of the vessel towards a woven basket below, while a second figure in a green-glazed robe raises both hands, the clothing details picked out in white porcelain with underglaze blue. The piece is unsigned. The pitcher measures 24.8 cm in height with a base diameter of 10.7 cm, and weighs 692 g. In good antique condition: the handle has been reglued in two places, visible in the photographs; otherwise in excellent antique condition. Please carefully regard all photos as they make an integral part of the listing, and reach out if there are any questions.
Ritas Bazaar has dated this Japanese Sumida Ware Pitcher to the 1900s.
You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Ritas Bazaar Profile Page
Japanese Sumida Gawa Pitcher, Sake Pouring Scene with Two Figures, Meiji–Taishō c.1900
