Incense burner in the shape of pheasant decorated with overglaze enamels, Ceramic sculpture and incense burner at Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, Japan
A green pheasant ceramic sculpture sits in the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art as a showcase piece. The object displays elaborate decorations in green, navy blue, red, and gold spread across the entire feathers.
A master craftsman created this piece in the early 1700s using techniques from the Kyo-yaki ceramic tradition. The work received an important national status in 1951 after being officially recognized in 1939.
The green coloring and elaborate glazes reflect the craft tradition practiced in Kanazawa. You can see here how artisans merged both function and beauty into a single object.
The object sits in a dedicated museum exhibition space and can be viewed from several angles. The glazes require careful handling and the piece is stored under proper conditions for long-term preservation.
The piece is nearly life-sized and shows the technical skill needed to stabilize such a large work during firing. The slightly yellowish color of the clay is visible where glazes are absent, telling of the complex production methods.
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