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Hexagonal kettle (kama) with design of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove
Hexagonal kettle (kama) with design of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove

Hexagonal kettle (kama) with design of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove

Artist Seishin Japanese
Place of OriginKyoto, Japan; Kyoto
Date1500-1700
MaterialsIron, copper alloys
DimensionsH. 9 3/4 in x W. 9 1/4 in x D. 9 1/4 in, H. 24.8 cm x W. 23.5 cm x D. 23.5 cm
Credit LineThe Avery Brundage Collection
Object numberB69M11.a-.b
DepartmentJapanese Art
ClassificationsMetal Arts
On View
Not on view
SignedSigned "Seishin"
Text Entries
This iron kettle is used to heat water for making tea. Its unusual hexagonal shape bears a design of an ancient Chinese legend. The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove were a group of Taoist scholars and musicians in the third century who gathered together in a bamboo forest. In this natural setting, away from the constraints of politics and society, they were able to drink and converse freely without concern for worldly matters.