Dish with Carp in Waves (1893–1914): Art, History and Details

Dish with Carp in Waves (1893–1914) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Seifū Yohei III (Japanese, 1851–1914).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The exterior of this low, wide dish with flared foot is covered with a red coral glaze. Its interior is white with incised designs, and the rim is decorated with brown iron oxide. The primary design occupies the flat bottom of the bowl and is bound within a single band. It is of a carp swimming vigorously against roiling waves with frothy crests moving in multiple directions; the water just above the fish’s head is beginning to form a whirlpool. A closer look at the fish’s face reveals that it somewhat resembles that of a dragon. It is possible that the motif is meant to be a carp who jumps over the waterfall and transforms into a dragon, who flies into the sky. The iconography symbolizes the transformative experience of striving to one’s utmost and achieving the impossible against tough odds. Originating in China, the narrative’s visual representation as well as its meaning crossed the ocean to Japan, where it often appeared on items gifted to those celebrating pivotal successes in life, such as obtaining elevated status in one’s work or graduating from an academic program.

Object facts

• Title: Dish with Carp in Waves
• Date: 1893–1914
• Creator attribution: Seifū Yohei III (Japanese, 1851–1914)
• Culture: Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)
• Type: Ceramic
• Technique: Porcelain with incised designs, iron oxide, and red glaze
• Dimensions: height: 3.5 cm (1 3/8 in.); Diameter: 16 cm (6 5/16 in.)
• Collection: Japanese Art
• Department: Japanese Art
• Accession number: 2022.240

A detail from the museum

The inside walls of the bowl are decorated with three abstract flowers, each represented with five circles ringing a central circle, from which leafy tendrils stretch in both directions .

Collection credit

Gift of James and Christine Heusinger

Further reading listed by the museum

• Maezaki, Shinya and Sinéad Vilbar. Colors of Kyoto: The Seifū Yohei Ceramic Studio. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.