Six-sided jar

Wheel-thrown shape (throwing marks visible on interior), deformed into six vertical facets, their edges accentuated by applied vertical strips of clay smoothed to sharp edges. The base is glazed. The inside of the neck, where a domed lid would have rested, is unglazed.

A single image fills the entire body nearly to the base; peony and chrysanthemum plants in full bloom in a garden, with rockery and ornamental fences, smaller plants and grasses. A narrow border of pointed motifs circle the lower wall above the projecting base. On the six facets of the neck, bilaterally symmetrical abstract peony sprays alternate with lozenge pattern.

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Historical period(s)
Edo period, 1710-1760
Medium
Porcelain with cobalt pigment under clear colorless glaze
Style
Arita ware, Imari type
Dimensions
H x W x D: 41.6 x 33.2 x 33.2 cm (16 3/8 x 13 1/16 x 13 1/16 in)
Geography
Japan, Saga prefecture, Arita
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. John Alexander Pope
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1992.1
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Jar

Keywords
Arita ware, Imari type, chrysanthemum, Edo period (1615 - 1868), Japan, peony, porcelain
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Wheel-thrown shape (throwing marks visible on interior), deformed into six vertical facets, their edges accentuated by applied vertical strips of clay smoothed to sharp edges. The base is glazed. The inside of the neck, where a domed lid would have rested, is unglazed.

A single image fills the entire body nearly to the base; peony and chrysanthemum plants in full bloom in a garden, with rockery and ornamental fences, smaller plants and grasses. A narrow border of pointed motifs circle the lower wall above the projecting base. On the six facets of the neck, bilaterally symmetrical abstract peony sprays alternate with lozenge pattern.

Label

In a garden scene covering the entire body of this six-sided jar, a tree peony and a chrysanthemum plant bloom above rocks and ornamental fences. The peony represents spring, and the chrysanthemum autumn. Originally a domed, six-sided lid capped the jar, which was probably made for export. Pairs of such jars were popular ornaments in European homes.

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