Vase, possibly glazed by Charles M. Kurtz

Classic “arrow-vase” (peach-shaped) with long, narrow cylindrical neck and globular-shaped body resting on flat foot with raised foot trimmed to form footring.

Clay: Pottery, footrim chipped and darkened on surface by use. Unglazed foot.

Glaze: Interior unglazed except for upper portion. Exterior of vase and outer edges of footring covered with turquoise lead fluxed glaze. Color has spilled onto foot. The rim is white where glaze has run thin. Glaze has pooled around foot and footring.

Decoration: None.

Signatures/Inscriptions: None

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Historical period(s)
Meiji era, late 19th century
Medium
Pottery with enamel glaze
Dimensions
H x W x D: 13 x 5.7 x 5.7 cm (5 1/8 x 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
Bequest of Isabel S. Kurtz
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1991.37
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Vase

Keywords
Japan, Meiji era (1868 - 1912)
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. Also see Curatorial Remark 2 in the object record.

[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

Classic "arrow-vase" (peach-shaped) with long, narrow cylindrical neck and globular-shaped body resting on flat foot with raised foot trimmed to form footring.

Clay: Pottery, footrim chipped and darkened on surface by use. Unglazed foot.

Glaze: Interior unglazed except for upper portion. Exterior of vase and outer edges of footring covered with turquoise lead fluxed glaze. Color has spilled onto foot. The rim is white where glaze has run thin. Glaze has pooled around foot and footring.

Decoration: None.

Signatures/Inscriptions: None

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 glazed. 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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