Oribe

"Oribe, wasn't he a French fashion designer from th 1920s? His pottery looks as though he was influenced by Joan Miro. After all, Miro made ceramics, didn't you know? And you must see the influence in the deft way those small motifs manage to make their statements in large spaces. And what a modern, witty mix of the curvilinear and the geometric in each design and the tendency toward abstraction...truly a modern artist."
Nothing wrong with those imaginary statements, except that Furuta Oribe died in 1615. It's just a way of highlighting the assumptions we sometimes bring to bear on matters of style. If nobody does it better, we must be the ones that are being talked about.

The Japanese ceramics Oribe ware looked modern, even shocking, in their lack of 'refinement' when they were created, beginning in the late 16th century, but quickly gained acceptance.

Oribe pottery is known for its whimsical charm, though it came out of the somber style of wabi tea ware, with its symmetrical forms in Raku tea bowls in subdued colors. In the hands of the Oribe potters the copper and green glazes became the medium for avant-garde designs. Intriguingly, for the pottery that bears his name, Oribe was not himself a potter but rather the 16th century Japanese equivalent of an artistic director. The wares take their name from the Japanese tea master Furuta Oribe (1544-1615).

Images:
1. Oribe incense burner in the shape of a rooster, Freer gallery, Washington, D.C.
2. Oribe side dish with fern design, Boston Museum of fine Arts.
3. Oribe tea caddy, Freer Gallery, Washington, D.C.
4. Oribetea kettle with blossoming plums, Freer Gallery, Washington, D.C.
5. Oribe side dish with vine design, Boston Museum of Fine Arts.