Mino or Seto ware ewer, used as tea caddy

Light gray clay. String-cut base. Two lugs on shoulder. Iron glaze covering the body nearly to the foot, splashed over shoulder with ash glaze that has matured on one side as translucent amber, streaked with opaque creamy yellow edged with blue. Base coated with iron wash. Inside glazed.

ā€¦ Read More

Historical period(s)
Muromachi period, 1480-1490
Medium
Stoneware with iron and ash glazes; ivory lid
Style
Seto ware
Dimensions
H x Diam: 8 Ɨ 11.1 cm (3 1/8 Ɨ 4 3/8 in)
Geography
Japan, Aichi prefecture
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1897.41a-b
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Ewer or tea caddy

Keywords
Japan, Muromachi period (1333 - 1573), Seto ware, stoneware, tea
Provenance

To 1897
Yamanaka & Company, New York to 1897 [1]

From 1897 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1897 [2]

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

Notes:

[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 723, 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

Light gray clay. String-cut base. Two lugs on shoulder. Iron glaze covering the body nearly to the foot, splashed over shoulder with ash glaze that has matured on one side as translucent amber, streaked with opaque creamy yellow edged with blue. Base coated with iron wash. Inside glazed.

Published References
  • Louise Allison Cort. Seto and Mino Ceramics. Washington and Honolulu, 1992. p. 23, fig. 20.
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