Large Moon Jar 1, by Akiko Hirai

An image of Studio Ceramics. Large Moon Jar 1. Hirai, Akiko (Japanese, b. 1970). Near-spherical moon jar part thrown and partly coiled from red stoneware which has blackened where exposed to the firing. Narrow fragmented rim, torn away so that half hangs down into the interior, and shoulder dented and ripped to one side. Irregular pieces of clay applied around the shoulder add to the crepuscular surface built up from layers of dripped slips and thick crackled blue-white and slime-green glazes, together suggesting a volcanic eruption which has left both icy cold and carbonised heat remains – perhaps the surface of the moon itself. The interior more smoothly glazed. Thrown and coiled red stoneware, porcelain slip, paper fibre, wood ash and glaze. height 49 cm, diameter 55 cm, 2018. Given by Nicholas and Judith Goodison through the Art Fund.

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Studio Ceramics. Large Moon Jar 1. Hirai, Akiko (Japanese, b. 1970). Near-spherical moon jar part thrown and partly coiled from red stoneware which has blackened where exposed to the firing. Narrow fragmented rim, torn away so that half hangs down into the interior, and shoulder dented and ripped to one side. Irregular pieces of clay applied around the shoulder add to the crepuscular surface built up from layers of dripped slips and thick crackled blue-white and slime-green glazes, together suggesting a volcanic eruption which has left both icy cold and carbonised heat remains – perhaps the surface of the moon itself. The interior more smoothly glazed. Thrown and coiled red stoneware, porcelain slip, paper fibre, wood ash and glaze. height 49 cm, diameter 55 cm, 2018. Given by Nicholas and Judith Goodison through the Art Fund.

Image data

Accession Number: C.11-2018
© Akiko Hirai. Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Aperture: f/19.0
Focal length: 80
Camera: Hasselblad H4D-31
Photographer name: Andrew Norman
Image height: 812 pixels
Image width: 1024 pixels
Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.0 (Windows)
Filesize: 145.42kB
Exposure time: 1/125
ISO Speed: 100
Fnumber: 19/1

Key words

21st Century _WF_ArtFund _WF_Copyright _WF_Goodison Akiko Hirai art pottery ash glazed coil built coiled coils Fitz_AA glazed Japanese jar moon jar porcelain pottery slip slip-coated slipware stoneware studio pottery thrown vessel

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            The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025)
            "Large Moon Jar 1, by Akiko Hirai"
            Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/image/media-215109 Accessed: 2025-12-05 16:14:02

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            University of Cambridge}}

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        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Large Moon Jar 1, by Akiko Hirai</figcaption>
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