Green and Blue Tea Bowl

Artist: Tomoo Hamada

Born in 1967 in Mashiko, Japan, Tomoo Hamada is a celebrated contemporary ceramic artist who continues the esteemed pottery lineage of the Hamada family. As the grandson of Shoji Hamada, a past National Living Treasure and pioneer of the Mingei (folk craft) movement, Tomoo grew up immersed in the rich traditions of Mashiko pottery. His work bridges the gap between heritage and modernity, creating pieces that honour traditions while embracing the adventure of fresh and original ideas.

This distinct tea bowl, highly energetic in shape and design, takes the form of an inverted ziggurat, with a steeply stepped lower half, in light and dark blue bands, tapering to a round base. Above is a shaped wall marked with a mottled green glaze. The internal space, echoing the external design, is a pool of dark blue glaze below a mottled green band. It is a shioyaki (salt-fired) piece, and so combines ancient Japanese traditions with a modern freedom of expression that has produced an exciting and radical tea bowl form.

With signed wooden box.

12 x 8.5 cm