Tea Caddy, named Tall (Seitaka) 1650 - 1699

Editor: So here we have Nonomura Ninsei’s "Tea Caddy, named Tall (Seitaka)," made sometime between 1650 and 1699. The material is ceramic, and I immediately get a sense of the object’s careful, vertical composure. What’s your take when you look at it? Curator: It whispers stories, doesn’t it? It's a world within a tiny pot, dreams swirling inside a tall caddy, much like steam from hot tea itself. Picture the artist's hands shaping this earthy vessel. Now, notice that band of different-colored clay near the bottom: What feeling does it give you? Editor: Stability, I suppose? Like the vessel is confidently standing on the Earth. But also it provides contrast? Curator: Precisely! Ninsei wasn’t just crafting a container; he was playing with textures and visual weight. The glazing that looks almost drippy, too: Do you feel like the artist was totally controlling everything here, or was he embracing the unexpected? Editor: Definitely embracing the unexpected. It's earthy, maybe even a little rough around the edges. It doesn’t seem overly polished or precise. Curator: Exactly! I see that surrender as part of the art itself, welcoming chance and celebrating the natural process. A dialogue between intention and raw material. And of course, within Japanese culture, it’s about quietude and reflection. Editor: So, even the "imperfections" are kind of the point? I guess that ties into Wabi-sabi aesthetics, right? Seeing beauty in the flaws... Curator: Perfectly put! Finding profound elegance in what others might overlook. Which makes sipping from a tea caddy much deeper than just drinking tea. Now I see it! It’s about the ritual, the presence. It also reminds us that nothing ever remains the same.