Japanese Sumida Gawa Pitcher, Depicting A Scene Of Sake Being Poured, With Two Figures; Meiji–taishō Period, Circa 1900

A Japanese Sumida Gawa (Sumida-yaki) pitcher, hand-thrown, dating from the late Meiji–Taishō period, circa 1900–1920. The low-fired red earthenware body is wheel-thrown with pronounced horizontal ribbing, of tall tapering cylindrical form with a pinched pouring lip and a long arched strap handle.

The upper section and handle are covered with a lustrous treacle-brown drip glaze streaked with blue, cream and grey, descending in an irregular curtain over the ribbed brick-red engobe ground in the manner of Chinese Shiwan (Shekwan) stoneware.

Applied and modelled in high relief, a humorous narrative scene wraps the body: a figure perched on a rocky ledge above tips a stoneware jar, sending a long stream of sake down the side of the vessel towards a woven basket below, while a second figure in a green-glazed robe raises both hands, the clothing details picked out in white porcelain with underglaze blue. The piece is unsigned. The pitcher measures 24.8 cm in height with a base diameter of 10.7 cm, and weighs 692 g. In good antique condition: the handle has been reglued in two places, visible in the photographs; otherwise in excellent antique condition. Please carefully regard all photos as they make an integral part of the listing, and reach out if there are any questions.