Covered bowl with design of pampas grass

This square covered bowl with rounded corners and edges is a form Kenzan apparently enjoyed working in, for many examples are known. The lid and exterior of the body are covered in thickly growing pampas grasses in white overglaze, deep underglaze blue, and gold. The grasses’ seed tassels show among the leaves in white and blue. The addition of gold to the dark colors of the grasses give a glimpse of brightness to this restrained scene of Musashino in late autumn. The interiors of the body and lid are covered in white slip, over which Kenzan painted a decorative lattice of four-petalled flowers. It provides an intriguing contrast with the arc-shaped curves of the design on the exterior. The bottom surface bears the bold signature “Kenzan” in iron oxide.