Review: Brighter than Gold - A Japanese Ceramic Tradition Formed by Foreign Aesthetics - Page 3

If seeing this modest exhibit excites your fancy, Satsuma pieces can easily be found on eBay. Engle correctly predicted that 500-odd pieces would be up for auction. How do you narrow down the field? Engle advised that while buying is best when you can actually see the item because photos can never do justice to the details, the most commonly sought after pieces are from the Kinkozan in Kyoto and Yabu Meizan kiln in Osaka. The most famous artist, Engle continued, would probably be Hotonda although pieces from other artists and other kilns could be just as valuable. If what you see at the exhibit and online excites your interest, then Engle suggests you might try to pick up the book, "Satsuma: Masterpieces From the World's Important Collections by Louis Lawrence."

So drop by see the glittering ceramic pieces that have enchanted Europeans and Americans for over a century. You might just get gold fever and decide to acquire Satsuma somewhere or you might discover you already have a few or know someone who does.

The Pacific Asia Museum is located at 46 N. Los Robles Ave. Admission for adults is $7; students and seniors are $5. For general exhibition information, call (626) 449-2742 or go to www.pacificasiamuseum.org. The exhibit ends August 15.

Article Author: Purple Tigress

Former theater critic for the LA Weekly and Los Angeles Times . For the last five years, an editing slave at a dot-com but recently laid off. Currently an under-employed freelance writer and artist.

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