JADE STALLION 1960

$250.00

SOLD

【 The Concept 】

In ancient East Asia, there was a stone more valuable than gold. They called it jade — and for centuries, every attempt to replicate its color in clay ended in failure. Then a potter discovered that iron, starved of oxygen inside a sealed kiln, would turn green. Not painted green. Green from within — the way jade is green from within. The technique became the most coveted in the ceramic world. An anonymous craftsman took that technique and applied it to a form that had nothing to do with vessels or bowls. They made a horse. Not a running horse, not a rearing horse — a standing one, legs straight, head level, facing forward with the plain composure of an animal that has no reason to move. The glaze settled into the carved lines of the saddle, darkened in the grooves of the mane, and caught the light along the ridge of the spine in a way that changes with the hour of the day.

【 The Function 】

A sculptural object. It does not hold anything, pour anything, or open anything. Its function is presence — the act of occupying a shelf, a desk, or a mantelpiece with enough visual weight that nothing else needs to be placed beside it. The saddle carries relief patterns pressed into the clay before firing — geometric motifs that reference textile traditions far older than the glaze itself. These marks are not painted on. They are built into the surface and revealed by the way the glaze settles into them.

【 The Texture 】

The entire body is covered in a single glaze — a grey-green celadon that shifts between sage and seafoam depending on the light. The surface is smooth and luminous, with a glass-like quality that invites touch. Beneath the glaze, the clay is pale and dense. The mane is carved in low relief. The tail curls against the body in a single continuous line. The hooves are planted, the ears are pointed, and the face is simplified to the edge of abstraction — just enough detail to read as a horse, just little enough to read as sculpture.

【 Presence 】

At nineteen centimeters tall, this is not a miniature. It commands a shelf the way a single vase commands a table — by being the only thing that matters. Pick it up and the surprise is immediate: it is lighter than it looks. The body is hollow, a shell of fired clay and glaze with nothing inside but air. That lightness is not a flaw. It is the proof that this object was made to be seen, not to anchor anything down. The celadon surface reflects its surroundings in a soft, distorted way, absorbing the colors of the room and returning them greener, quieter, older. Place it where natural light reaches it in the morning. By afternoon, it will look like a different object.

Sourced from a private collection in Japan.

【Context】

Identity: Anonymous Ceramic / Celadon-Glazed Sculptural Figure.

Origin: East Asian Ceramic Tradition, Japan.

Technique: Reduction-Fired Celadon Glaze over Carved Clay Body.

Function: Sculptural Object / Shelf Anchor / Contemplative Figure.

【 Dimensions (Approx.) 】

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Height: 19 cm (7.5 in)
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Width: 8 cm (3.1 in)
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Length: 18 cm (7.1 in)
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Weight: 0.320 kg (0.71 lbs)
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RELATED ARCHIVAL SPECIMENS

SOLD

SACRED TRINITY 1965

$240.00

【 The Concept 】

Earthen spirits born from 1,300 years of silence.
Tracing its mystical origin to the 8th century (723 AD), this rare archival set is considered one of Japan’s oldest surviving lineages of provincial craft. The legend tells of a noble migrant who, following a divine vision, used local red clay to forge sacred vessels. When he discarded the remaining fragments, they miraculously transformed into living spirits.

Unlike refined urban ceramics, these 1-of-1 archival specimens capture a brutal, primal beauty known as "Anonymous Elegance." Praised by the mid-century philosopher Muneyoshi Yanagi as the pinnacle of the "Beauty of Utility," these figures are a fierce counter-argument to the ego of the individual artist. They represent the "Unconscious Beauty" born of necessity, intended to protect the family sanctum through pure material honesty.

【 The Function 】

Grounding the senses in an era of digital noise.
This trio represents the profound Three Spirits: "Hear no Evil, See no Evil, Speak no Evil." Far from mere educational adages, these time-traveled survivors were engineered as a psychological anchor—spiritual utility designed to cleanse the mental workspace. In traditional Japanese houses, these amulets served as substitutes to absorb misfortune on behalf of their keepers.

Positioned together, they serve as a meditative reset mechanism. In our hyper-accelerated digital culture, their presence reminds the guardian to consciously curate what they hear, see, and say—offering a protective refuge of stillness against the surrounding chaos.

【 Material & Craft 】

Fingerprints of history on unglazed integrity.
Hand-forged without the use of a single mold, every curve of these specimens is formed through the master’s physical touch. Utilizing "Kibushi" clay—a primeval red soil from a vanishing volcanic terrain—the artisans utilized a 1,300-year-old "pinch-clay" (Te-bineri) technique where fingers speak directly to earth.

Each figure was high-fired and then traditionally smoldered with smoldering pine needles, creating an unpredictable, smoke-stained patina. There is no artificial gloss. The surface features microscopic fissures and mineral stains, known as "Patina of Survival." Each unit carries the tangible heat and pressure of a human palm from nearly seven decades ago.

【 Presence 】

Brutalist Stillness.
Place this trinity at the center of a minimal bookshelf or directly on your workstation desk. Their vertical gravity and uneven, hand-squeezed textures create a striking focal point against cold metal or smooth wooden surfaces. Their uneven silhouettes, lacking mechanical symmetry, evoke a "Zen" quality that immediately transforms the surrounding atmosphere.

They are meant to be curated as one unified defensive line. Secure these IRREPLACEABLE 1-of-1 archival discoveries and experience the ritual of archiving the silent narrative of vanishing Japan.