Vase

Vase with narrow mouth and tall, cylindrical neck. Square shoulders and rounded, bulbous body on flat base. Foot trimmed to form footring.

Clay: Porcelain, footring darkened on surface by use.

Glaze: Coral-pink enamel glaze applied to interior, exterior and foot. Crackle pattern produced during firing, then stained for emphasis.

Decoration: Crackling on surface of exterior of this bottle in imitation of Chinese wares.

Signatures/Inscriptions: Potter’s mark in seal script. Two paper labels: “CMK 25”, writing missing from second, torn label.

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Maker(s)
Artist: Seifu Yohei III (1851-1914)
Historical period(s)
Meiji era, circa 1893-1899
Medium
Porcelain with crackled coral-pink glaze
Style
Kyoto ware
Dimensions
H x W x D: 14.6 x 7.3 x 7.3 cm (5 3/4 x 2 7/8 x 2 7/8 in)
Geography
Japan, Kyoto prefecture, Kyoto, Gojozaka
Credit Line
Bequest of Isabel S. Kurtz
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1991.34
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Vase

Keywords
Japan, Kyoto ware, Meiji era (1868 - 1912), porcelain
Provenance

To ?
Charles M. Kurtz (1855-1909). [1]

To 1991
Isabel S. Kurtz (1901-1991). [2]

From 1991
Freer Gallery of Art, bequest of Isabel S. Kurtz (1901-1991). [3]

Notes:

[1] Ms. Isabel Kurtz bequeathed the group of Asian ceramics, F1991.19-.44, to the Freer Gallery of Art. These objects had been collected by her father, Charles M. Kurtz, who was a friend of Charles Freer.

[2] See note 1. Also see Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920 file, Collections Management Office.

[3] See note 2.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Charles M. Kurtz 1855-1909
Isabel S. Kurtz 1901-1991

Description

Vase with narrow mouth and tall, cylindrical neck. Square shoulders and rounded, bulbous body on flat base. Foot trimmed to form footring.

Clay: Porcelain, footring darkened on surface by use.

Glaze: Coral-pink enamel glaze applied to interior, exterior and foot. Crackle pattern produced during firing, then stained for emphasis.

Decoration: Crackling on surface of exterior of this bottle in imitation of Chinese wares.

Signatures/Inscriptions: Potter's mark in seal script. Two paper labels: "CMK 25", writing missing from second, torn label.

Marking(s)

Potter's mark in seal script. Two paper labels: "CMK 25", writing missing from second, torn label.

Label

This vase was part of a collection formed by Charles M. Kurtz (1855-1909), during the period when he served as assistant art director for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and art director for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Centennial International Exposition in St. Louis. Kurtz's collecting focused on porcelain with highly colored glazes. Along with these pieces by prominent Japanese potters, Kurtz acquired vases of similar shapes and colors from American and European factories. Kurtz's collection, representative of a broad popular interest in Japanese art in the late nineteenth century, also reflects the growing internationalism in the decoration of ceramics resulting from rapid exchange of information and technology facilitated by the international fairs.

Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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