Title
Candlestand in the shape of a foreigner
Year/Period
17th century (Momoyama period, 1573–1615)
Region
Japan
Object Type
Material
Dimension
Object size: 34.5 x 14.0 x 10.0 cm
Accession No.
2021-00668
Collection of
This candlestand is possibly in the form of a European man or a member of a Portuguese trading ship crew. The bushy eyebrows, large eyes, pointy nose, and clothing mark him as a Western foreigner. The spike in the dish on his head is meant to hold a candle. This is a rare Oribe ceramic figure. Oribe ceramics, first produced in the Momoyama period, include an array of shapes and decorative motifs, many borrowed from textiles, lacquerware, and other crafts. Tea utensils, everyday tableware, incense burners, candlestands, ink slabs, and in later periods tiles and lanterns, were made in this style.
