ALL THAT GLITTERS II

Big and beautiful, this large porcelain tsubo is by pioneering potter, Ono Hakuko. Based on an ancient Chinese technique she learned from Kato Hajime, this melon form tsubo has vertical ridges that divide the form up with panels of gold filling in between each divide. The pot is covered in one of Ono's characteristic yellow glazes that accentuates both the gold foil and the simple noble form. It has been written that she spent over five years perfecting the Sung inspired kinsai technique and no potter before , during or after her has become as synonymous with this particular style. This is likely due in part  to her intuitive use of decoration and space and the unique feel, or atmosphere that her pieces illicit through years of countless experiments and trial and error. There is a wonderful narrative created on and below the surface of her pots that show how uniquely suited Ono Hakuko was to a style based on the past and yet so skillfully displayed and modern in her adept hands.