Japanese, Kyoto
Incense Case (Kogo): Badger, 19th century
Ceramic with red raku glaze (clear glaze over red slip) , 6 x 5.4 cm (2 3/8 x 2 1/8 in.)
General admission for children 17 years and under is always free
This small ceramic incense case with red raku glaze is shaped like a seated badger. The base is round, while a detachable top has a stylized badger’s body. At the top is its head with large ears sticking up, and its arms and hands are carved into the sides and are depicted wrapped around its body towards the front.
Chinese Room
Commentary
The inscription on the box attributing the container to Raku Kichibei (Donyu, 1599-1658), made during an outing to eastern Kyoto, is probably invented.
Source: Louise Allison Cort, "Mrs. Gardner's 'Set of Tea-Things', A Vehicle for Friendship, Power, and Aesthetic Instruction," in Journeys East: Isabella Stewart Gardner and Asia, edited by Alan Chong and Noriko Murai (Boston: ISGM and Gutenberg Periscope, 2009): 384.
Source: Louise Allison Cort, "Mrs. Gardner's 'Set of Tea-Things', A Vehicle for Friendship, Power, and Aesthetic Instruction," in Journeys East: Isabella Stewart Gardner and Asia, edited by Alan Chong and Noriko Murai (Boston: ISGM and Gutenberg Periscope, 2009): 384.