Kutani-ware

Young Collector Alert: Japanese Ceramics

Filed under: Decor

Conventional wisdom for the new collector used to be: "Start with prints and as you learn more, graduate to painting." Today, on the contrary, another approach is build an art collection by acquiring ceramics. A good place to begin is the current show of sparkling and richly detailed enameled porcelain of Jun Takegoshi at the Joan B. Mirviss LTD gallery on New York's Upper East Side. Takegoshi's (b.1948) polychrome enamel vessels won't send you to the bank for a second mortgage. They range in price from $3,500-$13,000. Each is a little miracle of color and form, delicately painted with glaze and over-glaze. The secret to the vivid turquoise which dominates the current Mirviss show is extended firing time at low temperatures. However, the special genius of Takegoshi is his motifs---sparrows, ibis, king fishers, even dragons, each cunningly painted with individual personalities. Takegoshi doesn't just paint from nature, he imbues his creatures, the beguiling birds especially, with facial expressions ---anger, sadness, happiness, and could that be jealousy?

Tags: ceramics, collecting, Japanese porcelain, Kutani-ware, porcelain, takegoshi jun, young collectors