Seated Hotei Figure Made of Bizen Ware with Fan
Sold – no longer available
This piece was a handmade one-of-a-kind work. It cannot be reordered and will never exist in this form again. The page stays online as part of our archive.
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Details about the sold piece
- Height 12.5 cm
- Width 16 cm
- Weight 1 g
- Color Brown
- Item Type Figure
- Material Ceramics
- Period of Creation Meiji (1868–1912)
- Style / Tradition Bizen-yaki
- Unique Work Yes
No longer available
Description
A warm, earthy presence emanates from this seated Hotei figure, whose broad smile and relaxed posture make the joy of living of this Japanese god of fortune immediately palpable. In one hand he holds a small fan, while the other arm rests on his drawn-up knee – a classic, self-contained composition of Bizen ware ceramic art.
The unglazed surface, shifting between warm red and brown tones, shows the texture characteristic of Bizen-yaki fired in a wood-burning kiln, lending each piece an unmistakable, painterly quality. Over the decades a beautiful patina of age has formed, further deepening the figure's expression. On the neck there is a fine crack that already occurred during the firing process – a not untypical feature for Bizen ware ceramics of this kind, one that underscores the craftsmanship and authenticity of the piece rather than diminishing it.
The figure was made as a hand-worked one-of-a-kind piece during the Meiji period and, with its expressive, unguarded posture, embodies the joy and abundance for which Hotei, as one of the seven gods of fortune, has been venerated for centuries.
