Anagama

Toshiko Takaezu, Anagama, ca. 1980s, glazed stoneware, 39 ⁵⁄₈ x 14 ¹⁄₂ in. diam. irregular (100.5 x 36.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2006.26.8

Artwork Details

Title: Anagama
Artist: Toshiko Takaezu
Date: ca. 1980s
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 39 ⁵⁄₈ x 14 ¹⁄₂ in. diam. irregular (100.5 x 36.9 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of the artist
Mediums: stoneware
Mediums Description: glazed stoneware
Classifications: Decorative Arts
Highlights: Asian American Art
Subjects: Abstract
Object Number: 2006.26.8
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2006.26.8

Artwork Description

One of Toshiko Takaezu's “closed forms,” the unseen interior cavity of this ceramic sculpture suggests the protected space of an egg. To create these forms, Takaezu threw a pot at her wheel, then coiled and hand built the clay into a nearly closed spheroid. She often placed pieces of paper and clay inside before firing that became rattling ceramic beads in the kiln.

Many species of birds, like ducks, communicate with each other before they hatch. They peep and click from inside their eggs to synchronize their emergence, preparing the family to leave the nest together. Like chattering eggs in a nest, Takaezu’s closed forms conjure new imaginings about the tenderness of home.

This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022