Karatsu ware tea ceremony water jar

Water jar (mizusashi), oval shape with unevenly indented sides, recessed base unglazed in center; gold lacquer repairs.
Clay: medium stoneware fired reddish brown.
Glaze: transparent slightly milky grey over white slip.
Decoration: very few grasses painted in underglaze iron.

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Historical period(s)
Edo period, 1780-1860
Medium
Stoneware with white slip and iron pigment under feldspathic glaze
Style
Karatsu ware, E-Karatsu type
Dimensions
H x Diam: 16.7 Ɨ 17.8 cm (6 9/16 Ɨ 7 in)
Geography
Japan, Saga prefecture
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1902.239a-b
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Tea ceremony water jar (mizusashi)

Keywords
Edo period (1615 - 1868), grass, Japan, Karatsu ware, E-karatsu type, stoneware, tea, water
Provenance

To 1902
Yamanaka & Company, New York, NY, to 1902 [1]

From 1902 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1902 [2]

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

Notes:

[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1211, 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

Water jar (mizusashi), oval shape with unevenly indented sides, recessed base unglazed in center; gold lacquer repairs.
Clay: medium stoneware fired reddish brown.
Glaze: transparent slightly milky grey over white slip.
Decoration: very few grasses painted in underglaze iron.

Published References
  • Oriental Ceramics: The World's Great Collections. 12 vols., Tokyo. vol. 10, pl. 155.
  • Bernard Leach. A Potter's Portfolio: A Selection of Fine Pots. New York. pl. 38.
  • Bernard Leach. The Potter's Challenge. New York. pp. 112-113.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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