Plate c. 20th century

This plate was made by Shimaoka Tatsuzō. It's ceramic, so he would have been pressing and molding the clay, coaxing it into this shallow, round form. The plate's surface is covered in these little stippled marks, like raindrops on a misty window. They form a swirling pattern, drawing your eye towards the center, like a drain. I imagine Tatsuzō, carefully imprinting each mark, feeling the texture of the clay beneath his fingers, and hoping that they would come out right after being fired in the kiln. The rim is speckled with a darker brown, a contrast to the creamy white of the plate's interior. It’s a reminder of the earth from which the clay came. I’m reminded that Tatsuzō apprenticed with Bernard Leach, who brought together Eastern and Western aesthetics. You can see that in the way this plate blends functionality with a kind of quiet, contemplative beauty. It's this blend that carries on an artistic conversation.