Individual serving bowl, Karatsu ware, E-Karatsu type

Recessed foot unglazed; lacquer repairs.
Clay: medium stoneware, fired red where unglazed.
Glaze: mottled brownish gray; areas of small crackle.
Decoration: grasses boldly painted in iron brown under glaze.

Historical period(s)
Momoyama period, 1596-1615
Medium
Stoneware with iron pigment under clear glaze; gold lacquer repairs
Style
Karatsu ware, E-Karatsu type
Dimensions
H x Diam: 8.8 × 10.6 cm (3 7/16 × 4 3/16 in)
Geography
Japan, Saga prefecture
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1900.7
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Individual serving bowl (mukozuke)

Keywords
Japan, Karatsu ware, lacquer repair, Momoyama period (1573 - 1615), stoneware
Provenance

Ikeda Seisuke (1839-1900), Kyoto [1]

To 1900
Yamanaka & Company, to 1900 [2]

From 1900 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1900 [3]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]

Notes:

[1] Curatorial Remarks, H. E. Buckman, 1964: The Envelope File, which has now been destroyed, contained the following note: "A rare specimen; from the Ikeda Collection."

[2] See Original Pottery List, L. 666, 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.

[3] See note 2.

[4] 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)

Ikeda Seisuke 1839-1900
Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
Yamanaka and Co. (C.L. Freer source) 1917-1965

Description

Recessed foot unglazed; lacquer repairs.
Clay: medium stoneware, fired red where unglazed.
Glaze: mottled brownish gray; areas of small crackle.
Decoration: grasses boldly painted in iron brown under glaze.

Published References
  • Oriental Ceramics: The World's Great Collections. 12 vols., Tokyo. vol. 10, pl. 152.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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