Candy pellet bottle in shape of eggplant

Candy pellet container (furidashi) in shape of eggplant, with mantle of leaves in low relief. Paper-covered stopper.
Clay: hard, dense, buff Kyoto-type pottery.
Glaze: outside – lower body in brilliant enamel glaze, dark purple; upper body in brilliant autumn-red lacquer and gold leaf. Inside – clear, crackled.
Seal: Eiraku.

Maker(s)
Artist: Eiraku Hozen 永楽保全 (1795-1854)
Historical period(s)
Edo period, 1827-1843
Medium
Stoneware with gold leaf under enamel glazes; paper-covered stopper
Style
Kyoto ware
Dimensions
H x W x D: 7.7 x 6.8 x 6.8 cm (3 1/16 x 2 11/16 x 2 11/16 in)
Geography
Japan, Kyoto prefecture, Kyoto
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1906.33a-b
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Bottle for candy pellets (furidashi)

Keywords
Edo period (1615 - 1868), eggplant, Japan, Kyoto ware, stoneware
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Candy pellet container (furidashi) in shape of eggplant, with mantle of leaves in low relief. Paper-covered stopper.
Clay: hard, dense, buff Kyoto-type pottery.
Glaze: outside - lower body in brilliant enamel glaze, dark purple; upper body in brilliant autumn-red lacquer and gold leaf. Inside - clear, crackled.
Seal: Eiraku.

Marking(s)

Eiraku

Label

The Kyoto potter Eiraku Hozen was particularly inspired in his use of enamel glazes in clear tones of turquoise, green, yellow, and purple, in the manner of late Ming Chinese pottery from the Zhangzhou kilns in Fujian province that the Japanese called Kochi ware. Hozen's skill was sought by the Tokugawa clan of Kii province, for whom he established a kiln, and from whom he received a set of gold and silver seals with which to mark his work. This charming small vessel substitutes a vegetal shape for the usual ceramic one. The eggplant leaves are rendered in gold leaf under a veil of translucent red lacquer. Hozen pioneered the use of this continental technique in Japan.

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