Tea-ceremony water jar

Light gray clay. Two handles shaped like silk-cord knots. Vestiges of decoration in underglaze cobalt on walls. Clear glaze, crackled, gray-green where thick, partially wiped off base. Thin, clear glaze on inside; three small spur marks in bottom. Large, irregular circular scar on base.

Historical period(s)
Edo period, 1630-1660
Medium
Stoneware with cobalt pigment under clear glaze; gold lacquer repairs
Style
Mino ware, Ofuke type
Dimensions
H x W x D: 18.4 x 18 x 18 cm (7 1/4 x 7 1/16 x 7 1/16 in)
Geography
Japan, Gifu prefecture, Mino kilns
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1899.73a-b
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Tea ceremony water jar (mizusashi)

Keywords
Edo period (1615 - 1868), Japan, lacquer repair, Mino ware, Ofuke type, stoneware, tea, water
Provenance

To 1899
Yamanaka & Company, to 1899 [1]

From 1899 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1899 [2]

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

Notes:

[1] Undated folder sheet note. Also see Original Pottery List, L. 114, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. The majority of Charles Lang Freer’s purchases from Yamanaka & Company were made at its New York branch. Yamanaka & Company maintained branch offices, at various times, in Boston, Chicago, London, Peking, Shanghai, Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto. During the summer, the company also maintained seasonal locations in Newport, Bar Harbor, and Atlantic City.

[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. Two handles shaped like silk-cord knots. Vestiges of decoration in underglaze cobalt on walls. Clear glaze, crackled, gray-green where thick, partially wiped off base. Thin, clear glaze on inside; three small spur marks in bottom. Large, irregular circular scar on base.

Published References
  • Louise Allison Cort. Seto and Mino Ceramics. Washington and Honolulu, 1992. p. 38, no. 68.
  • Constance Bond. Daimyo's Choice at the Freer. Washington, April 1986. p. 162.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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