Tea bowl, unknown Raku ware workshop

Tea bowl. Broken and repaired.
Clay: soft, white. Raku type.
Glaze: mingled salmon-red, white, yellow, and gray-green; crackled and deeply pitted. Three spur scars on footrim. Red slip under clear glaze.
Mark: Cipher (kao) incised inside footrim.

Maker(s)
Artist: Style of Hon'ami Kōetsu 本阿弥光悦 (1558-1637)
Historical period(s)
Edo period or Meiji era, 19th century
Medium
Raku-type earthenware with red slip under milky glaze; smoke-blackened rim; red lacquer repairs
Style
Raku ware, unknown workshop
Dimensions
H x Diam: 8.5 × 12.4 cm (3 3/8 × 4 7/8 in)
Geography
Japan, Kyoto prefecture, Kyoto
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1896.89
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Tea bowl

Keywords
copy, earthenware, Edo period (1615 - 1868), Japan, Meiji era (1868 - 1912), Raku ware, tea
Provenance

To 1896
Yamanaka & Company, New York to 1896 [1]

From 1896 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1896 [2]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:

[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 478, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[2] See note 1.

[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
Yamanaka and Co. (C.L. Freer source) 1917-1965

Description

Tea bowl. Broken and repaired.
Clay: soft, white. Raku type.
Glaze: mingled salmon-red, white, yellow, and gray-green; crackled and deeply pitted. Three spur scars on footrim. Red slip under clear glaze.
Mark: Cipher (kao) incised inside footrim.

Marking(s)

Mark: Cipher (kao) incised inside footrim.

Published References
  • Bonnie Kemske. Kintsugi: The Poetic Mend. London, England, April 2021. p. 49, fig. 38.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
SI Usage Statement

Usage Conditions Apply

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

citation | Save this image How to download an image | Request Permission | Terms of Use