Edo ceramics

Flower vase (ichirin-ike)
Manufacture Banko (ko-Banko), pref. of Mie (prov. of Ise),
Eighteenth century
Sandstone, covered celadon green Banko seiji style; on the shoulder, molded decoration of the eight trigrams of the Yijing divination book. Repair with gold lacquer (nashiji) on the mouth. Stamp stamped under the base: Banko.
H: 9,5 cm; D.: 11,5 cm
Legacy Henri Cernuschi, 1896
© Paris-Museums / Karin Maucotel

Edo ceramics

Four centuries of Japanese ceramics in the collections of the Cernuschi Museum

26 February - 4 July 2010

The exhibition will present a selection of 120 works ranging from the Momoyama era (1574-1615) to the present day.

Removed from the permanent presentation at the beginning of the twentieth century for the benefit of Chinese archaic artifacts and left in reserve for lack of space, most of the works shown on this occasion are unknown to the public.

The collection, re-examined in the light of discoveries and modern works, allows to evoke certain aspects of the life and taste of the Japanese and their evolution over the centuries. The diversity in the space and time of Japan's productions is a reminder that this art is closely linked to the country's major social evolutions.

This selection shows in particular the breaks and permanences - even the returns to earlier styles - that marked the course of the so-called Edo period (1615-1868): diffusion of the production of sandstone related to the tea ceremony, appearance of first Japanese porcelain especially for banquets and feasts of the aristocracy, import of techniques and styles from the Continent that accompanied a new fashion for Chinese cuisine and tea infused in intellectual circles.
The importance accorded to ceramic decorations or statuary under the influence of international demand at the time of Meiji (1868-1912), and, in the twentieth century, interest in folk art complete this panorama.

Edo Ceramics exhibition press release (PDF)
Edo Ceramics exhibition press kit (PDF)