Kyoto Ware Matcha Bowl (Chawan) — Rainbow Leaf Scrolls, Gold Outlines, Signed, with Box

This Kyoto ware (Kyō-yaki / Kiyomizu-yaki) matcha bowl is covered in trailing sprigs of small leaves that curl and scroll around the outer wall. Each leaf is filled with a different enamel in soft blue, yellow, orange, green or aubergine, and outlined in gold. A few single leaf pairs drift free of the stems, adding movement to the design. A smaller spray continues just inside the rim, so the pattern greets the drinker as they lift the bowl.

The decoration is done in overglaze enamels (iro-e), the painted-enamel technique Kyoto potters are known for. The enamels are applied thickly enough to stand slightly proud of the surface, and several show a fine crackle, which catches the light like tiny stained-glass panes. The ground is a soft ivory glaze with a fine allover crackle (kan'nyū), inside and out. Because the mixed colours don't tie it to one season, it suits use all year round.

The shape is a classic wan-nari (rounded bowl form) with gently curved walls and a fine, even rim. The foot is unglazed, bright white and precisely trimmed in a stepped profile with concentric turning rings, and an impressed potter's seal sits inside the foot ring.

The bowl comes in its paper-covered box, together with a calligraphy card and a pink paper insert.

Details:

• Origin: Japan, Kyoto ware (Kyō-yaki / Kiyomizu-yaki). Impressed potter's seal inside the foot ring.

• Form: Rounded wan-nari chawan with a fine rim and a stepped, precisely trimmed foot ring

• Glaze: Soft ivory glaze with fine allover crackle, inside and out

• Decoration: Overglaze enamel (iro-e) scrolling leaf sprigs in blue, yellow, orange, green and aubergine with gold outlines on the exterior, and a smaller spray inside the rim

• Base: Unglazed white foot with concentric turning rings, impressed seal

• Condition: Good secondhand condition. A few tiny dark specks in the interior glaze are firing marks. Please see photos for detail. Gold outlines can wear with rubbing, so hand-wash gently.

• Packaging: Paper-covered box with calligraphy card and paper insert

• Dimensions: (Ø) approx. 12.5 cm x (H) approx. 8 cm