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Kettle with Crane Design
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Water supplied from a jar such as the fine Shino-ware vessel ( CMA 1972.9.a-b ) was transferred to an iron kettle for boiling as part of the tea ceremony. Former CMA director Sherman Lee described the jagged, broken skirt of this kettle as "attractively damaged," complementing the unobtrusive wispy designs on its rough metal surface. The character of this kettle—worn, coarse, the "perfection" of symmetry destroyed—was cherished by tea masters for its powerful humility.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineKettle with Crane Design, 1392–1573. Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573). Iron; diameter: 30.4 cm (11 15/16 in.); diameter of mouth: 18.6 cm (7 5/16 in.); overall: 18.2 cm (7 3/16 in.); with handle: 31.5 cm (12 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1980.11
