You are invited to come along with me as I learn about Japanese ceramics. I will share what I learn about the kilns, history, terminology, potters, decorators, styles, and marks. This is a work in progress. ** NOTICE: I DO NOT ANSWER QUERIES ON PERSONAL PIECES. I DO NOT GIVE VALUATIONS. General comments and questions will still be accepted.
Friday, September 9, 2011
What an undertaking!
When I started my quest to discover the artists, kilns and retailers who made and sold the pieces I have collected little did I know just how many kilns, and artists there were! Since I have embarked on this project I have learned a lot of vocabulary, kanji characters and possible readings. I find it interesting that Japanese people are not necessarily any farther ahead than I am with reading the marks on the pieces. Some artists writing reminds me of all the jokes made about the illegibility of doctor's handwriting. The other factors of multiple readings of a character, as well as the carved "hanko" designs for making the marks on the pottery and the boxes make for a difficult task. I will continue to share what I am learning and hopefully it will be of some use to my readers. Keep in mind that I am not Japanese and I am involved in a complex learning process!
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Well worth the effort; I am investigating imported B&W porcelain in England, and I don't understand Japanese.
ReplyDeleteWe have lots of material imported by "Andrea by Sadek" -it is gift ware, & a lot of the B&W appears to be Japanese, although Chinese factories are also used.
Keep up the good work.
I appreciate the information you have posted up on your site alot. However I always find that the photos you took of the artists' marks are frequently so blur that I cannot make up the kanji. I wish you will invest in a better camera that takes macro pictures clearer so that all the hard work you have put in here will be better appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the effort!
Thank you for the critique. I will be improving some of the pictures, but will not be getting a special camera. I began this project as a hobby, a way of tracking my research. I never imagined that I would have so many people stopping by to read my blog. I do put this out for free so that others can benefit from my research. It is not meant to establish a value or to be used as a professional appraisal tool. It is what it is....a work in progress.
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