Small jar used as tea caddy, named “Mizai”

Small jar with sharply angled shoulder, untrimmed base with string-cutting scar.
Clay: stoneware
Glaze: iron-rich ash-based glaze,
Decoration: seven clay bosses (ruiza) on shoulder.

Historical period(s)
Muromachi period, 1400-1450
Medium
Stoneware with brown glaze; ivory lid
Style
Seto ware
Dimensions
H x Diam (a - vessel): 7.3 × 8.8 cm (2 7/8 × 3 7/16 in)
Geography
Japan, Aichi prefecture, Seto
Credit Line
Gift of Peggy and Richard M. Danziger
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1998.16a-j
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Tea caddy (chaire) with accessories

Keywords
Japan, Muromachi period (1333 - 1573), Seto ware, stoneware, tea
Provenance

To 1981
Sen Soshitsu Hounsai, fifteenth iemoto of Urasenke, to 1981 [1]

From 1981 to 1998
Peggy and Richard M. Danziger, New York, given by Sen Soshitsu Hounsai in 1981 [2]

From 1998
Freer Gallery of Art, given by Peggy and Richard M. Danziger in 1998

Notes:

[1] According to Curatorial Note 2, Louise Cort, May 5, 1998, in the object record.

[2] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Peggy and Richard M. Danziger
Sen Sōshitsu XV born 1923

Description

Small jar with sharply angled shoulder, untrimmed base with string-cutting scar.
Clay: stoneware
Glaze: iron-rich ash-based glaze,
Decoration: seven clay bosses (ruiza) on shoulder.

Inscription(s)

On box lid (F1998.16g) (back): "Seto ruiza chaire/mei mizai/Konnichi [kao] (Sen Soshitsu XV)

Published References
  • Thomas Lawton, Thomas W. Lentz. Beyond the Legacy: Anniversary Acquisitions for the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. vol. 1 Washington, 1998. pp. 296-297.
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