Bottle

Large, double-gourd shaped; silver capped; broad foot.
Clay: hard, resonant.
Glaze: greenish-gray celadon with yellowish discolorations; crackled, and fissured. Base and footrim unglazed.
Decoration: inlaid in white and black slip under glaze, combining stamped and freehand motifs: lotus-petal band around neck; small clouds filling upper bulb; overlapping lotus-petal band below waist, with stamped circles, above stamped cloud-lappet band; four large medallions, two of chrysanthemum sprays, two of cranes in willow trees, alternating with chrysanthemum sprays; overlapping lotus-petal band above base.

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Historical period(s)
Goryeo period, 14th century
Medium
Stoneware with white and black inlays under celadon glaze; silver fitting and cap
Dimensions
H x Diam: 36.2 Ɨ 20.8 cm (14 1/4 Ɨ 8 3/16 in)
Geography
Korea, Jeollanam-do province, Gangjin county, Gangjin kilns
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1897.46a-b
On View Location
Freer Gallery 14: Rediscovering Korea's Past
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Bottle

Keywords
chrysanthemum, crane, Goryeo period (918 - 1392), green glaze, Korea, stoneware, willow tree
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. 42, 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

Large, double-gourd shaped; silver capped; broad foot.
Clay: hard, resonant.
Glaze: greenish-gray celadon with yellowish discolorations; crackled, and fissured. Base and footrim unglazed.
Decoration: inlaid in white and black slip under glaze, combining stamped and freehand motifs: lotus-petal band around neck; small clouds filling upper bulb; overlapping lotus-petal band below waist, with stamped circles, above stamped cloud-lappet band; four large medallions, two of chrysanthemum sprays, two of cranes in willow trees, alternating with chrysanthemum sprays; overlapping lotus-petal band above base.

Published References
  • Louise Allison Cort. Korean Ceramics in the Freer Gallery of Art. .
  • Robert L. Hobson, Edward S. Morse, Rose Sickler Williams. Chinese, Corean, and Japanese Potteries: Descriptive Catalogue of the Loan Exhibition. Exh. cat. New York, March 2-21, 1914. cat. 139.
Collection Area(s)
Korean Art
Web Resources
Korean Ceramics in the Freer Gallery of Art
The Story of the Beautiful
Google Cultural Institute
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