Tea Bowl with Hydrangeas 1800 - 1849

This is a stoneware tea bowl with overglaze enamel decoration made by Nin'ami Dōhachi in Japan. The image of hydrangeas on this bowl connects us to the aesthetic and cultural practices of tea ceremonies in Japan. The tea ceremony had become entrenched within elite circles of Japanese society and it was closely associated with Zen Buddhism. In the 18th and 19th centuries, tea culture spread to the merchant classes, which created new demands for tea bowls and other utensils. Nin’ami Dōhachi was the adopted son of a potter, and he became the official potter for the Kujō family, who were high-ranking court nobles in Kyoto. The hydrangeas on the bowl may reference the seasons, and the naturalism of the painted image speaks to the refined aesthetic of tea culture. Historians of art and culture look to objects like this to reveal the values of Japanese society and its art institutions. They also look at the complex interplay between artistic tradition, social class, and cultural change.