Artwork
永樂保全筆 「陶造」|Making Ceramics
永樂保全筆 「陶造」|Making Ceramics is an ink painting by the Nihonga artist Eiraku Hozen. It dates from 1827 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 18.77.6
- Credit line
- Rogers Fund, 1918
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work, rendered in ink and color on paper, is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection and was created in Japan.
The hanging scroll by Eiraku Hozen, dated 1827, depicts a solitary man actively shaping ceramics, a visual representation of the craft of pottery in Edo-period Japan. The composition emphasizes the physical labor and concentration involved in making ceramics, symbolizing the dignity of artistic work and the transmission of technical skill. As a genre-scene painting, it records a specific occupational activity rather than a mythic or allegorical subject, reflecting contemporary interest in everyday labor.
The work, rendered in ink and color on paper, is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection and was created in Japan.
Technique & Style
The work titled 永樂保全筆 「陶造」|Making Ceramics, created by Eiraku Hozen in 1827, is a hanging scroll executed in ink and color on paper, a format characteristic of Japanese scroll painting. Its classification as a painting and its depiction of a man engaged in ceramic work place it within the genre-scene tradition. The piece was produced in Japan and entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
As a scroll, it is supported by flexible paper and intended for vertical display, allowing subtle modulation of line and hue. Detailed condition or handling instructions are not recorded in the available documentation.
History & Provenance
永樂保全筆 「陶造」|Making Ceramics is a hanging scroll painted by Eiraku Hozen in 1827 in Japan. The work, classified as a genre scene depicting a man at work, was executed in ink and color on paper. It entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is recorded under accession number 18.77.6.
No specific details regarding past exhibitions or loan history are provided in the current documentation, though the piece remains part of the museum's established holdings.
Context
Eiraku Hozen's hanging scroll 永樂保全筆 「陶造」|Making Ceramics (1827) exemplifies the Edo-period genre of occupational scenes, portraying a craftsman in the act of ceramic production. The work, catalogued in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is cited as a visual record of early 19th-century Japanese pottery work and as evidence of Hozen's engagement with artisanal subjects within the broader context of Japanese painting. Museum interpretation emphasizes its significance as a cultural document that bridges fine art and the documentation of material culture, positioning the piece within the trajectory of genre painting that chronicled everyday labor.
Overview
Eiraku Hozen's "Making Ceramics," created in 1827, is a hanging scroll executed with ink and color on paper. This painting offers a detailed portrayal of a pottery workshop, a subject that diverged from the more common themes in Japanese art of its period. It captures a specific moment of daily labor and craftsmanship.
Artist & collection
