Bowl

Historical period(s)
Goryeo period, 12th century
Medium
Stoneware with celadon glaze
Dimensions
H x W: 9.8 x 22.7 cm (3 7/8 x 8 15/16 in)
Geography
Korea, Jeollanam-do province, Gangjin county, Gangjin kilns
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1909.14
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Alms bowl

Keywords
Goryeo period (918 - 1392), green glaze, Korea, stoneware
Provenance

To 1909Yamanaka & Company, New York to 1909 [1]From 1909 to 1919Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1909 [2]From 1920Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]Notes:[1] Undated folder sheet note. Also see Original Pottery List, L. 1903, 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)

Yamanaka and Co. (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919

Label

This undecorated ceramic bowl with incurving rim replicates the form of metal alms bowls carried by Buddhist monks for receiving food offerings from devotees.  The ceramic version was probably used for the same purpose and would have been a gift to a monastery from a noble patron.

Published References

Edward B. Adams. Korea's Pottery Heritage. 2 vols., Seoul, 1986-1990. cat. 119.Korean Art in the Freer and Sackler Galleries. Washington, D.C. no. 6.14, p. 90.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. no. 112, p. 101.Paths to Perfection, Buddhist Art at the Freer/Sackler. Washington, D.C. pp. 122-123.

Collection Area(s)
Korean Art
Web Resources
Korean Ceramics
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