Antique Earthenware Underglaze Blue Pine, Bamboo and Plum High-Footed Cup, Horseback Cup, Japanese Rocks Glass #359

Exuding a commanding presence with a height of approximately 14.8 cm, width of 11.5 cm, and mouth diameter of 9.2 cm, this is an antique, unsigned ceramic underglaze blue (sometsuke) high-footed cup decorated with pine, bamboo, and plum motifs (horseback cup / takatsuki / high-footed tea bowl). Following the large-scale form of traditional horseback cups and high-stemmed vessels, its vivid deep blue sometsuke decoration set against a white ground conveys a powerful aesthetic sensibility. Our shop presents this high-footed cup—endowed with the imposing character unique to antique ceramics aged over long years—to the global market not only as a traditional liquor vessel and appreciation ceramic, but also as a supreme vintage rocks glass (a Japanese free cup) for luxuriously savoring amber aged sake or matured whisky over large ice cubes.

Observing the details of this piece reveals the traditional sometsuke (blue and white) technique applied across the entire vessel surface, along with the auspicious motifs of pine, bamboo, and plum (Three Friends of Winter) rendered with magnificent vitality. On the plump, bowl-shaped body, pine extending its needles radially, bamboo stretching upright with sharp leaves, and plum expressed with rounded petals and powerful branches unfold dynamically through brushwork leveraging shades of gosu (cobalt blue pigment). Flowing karakusa (arabesque / scroll) patterns are arranged on the upper section of the high foot, while regular vertical-striped lotus petal motifs are band-placed on the flaring lower section, tightening the overall visual poise of the vessel. The bluish ash-white glaze covering the entire ceramic body is densely traversed by fine crackles (kannyu), while the inner base of the foot ring exposes unglazed raw clay, leaving traces of hand-carving and coarse clay texture intact.

Regarding the period of production, taking clues from the traditional horseback cup construction joining the bowl and high foot, the brushwork style of hand-painted gosu decoration, the age-related transformation of the bluish crackle glaze, and the unglazed raw clay texture and hand-carved feel visible on the foot base, it is identified as an antique piece crafted between 1850 and circa 1910 (late Edo to Meiji period). The vessel itself has no cracks or chips, maintaining extremely good condition as an antique piece in both the flavor of its crackles and the vibrancy of its gosu coloration.

• Artist: Unknown (Antique)
• Features of the Work: Earthenware underglaze blue, pine, bamboo, and plum motif (Three Friends of Winter), arabesque motif, lotus petal motif, high-footed cup (horseback cup), crackle glaze 
• Date: Circa 1850–1910 (Estimated late Edo to Meiji period)
• Condition: Very good (no chips, no cracks). There is crackle that has developed with age. Please regard the crazing that forms in firing, other characteristics of ceramics and the patina of age as part of the pleasure of an antique piece.
  Accessories: None (item only)
  Material: Ceramic (underglaze blue, crackle glaze) 
• Dimensions: Height approx. 14.8 cm, Width approx. 11.5 cm, Mouth diameter approx. 9.2 cm
• Please Note: All products offered by our shop are antique pre-owned items due to their historical production period. Please consider purchasing after understanding the character of age-related crackles and wear.
• About the Photographs: We prepare every description with great care, but errors may still remain in the text. Please examine the photos carefully before purchasing. Where the photos and the description differ, please take the photos as the basis for the product information.