Bottle

Vase of mei-p’ing form.
Clay: medium grade grayish white porcelain.
Glaze: transparent greenish blue; crackled and stained in spots. Decoration: scrolling vines strongly carved in the clay.

Historical period(s)
Yuan dynasty, 1279-1368
Medium
Porcelain with translucent bluish (qingbai) glaze
Style
Qingbai ware
Dimensions
H x Diam: 37.4 × 23.2 cm (14 3/4 × 9 1/8 in)
Geography
Southeastern China
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1897.58
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Bottle (meiping)

Keywords
China, porcelain, Qingbai ware, Yuan dynasty (1279 - 1368)
Provenance

To 1897
Yamanaka & Company, to 1897 [1]

From 1897 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1897 [2]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:

[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 91, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. The majority of Charles Lang Freer’s purchases from Yamanaka & Company were made at its New York branch. Yamanaka & Company maintained branch offices, at various times, in Boston, Chicago, London, Peking, Shanghai, Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto. During the summer, the company also maintained seasonal locations in Newport, Bar Harbor, and Atlantic City.

[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)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
Yamanaka and Co. (C.L. Freer source) 1917-1965

Description

Vase of mei-p'ing form.
Clay: medium grade grayish white porcelain.
Glaze: transparent greenish blue; crackled and stained in spots. Decoration: scrolling vines strongly carved in the clay.

Label

This bottle with carved decor of floral vinescrolls accented by combing bears a translucent glaze tinted pale blue by a small percentage of iron. This glaze, called qingbai ("shadowy blue"), was used on porcelain vessels made in the vicinity of Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, as well as at many kilns in adjacent provinces in southeastern China. Many bottles of this shape were exported to Japan, where they were owned by Buddhist temples or warrior families. Charles Lang Freer acquired this bottle from a Japanese dealer.

Published References
  • Hai wai i chen [Chinese Art in Overseas Collections]. Taipei, 1985. vol. 3: p. 112.
  • Oriental Ceramics: The World's Great Collections. 12 vols., Tokyo. vol. 10, pl. 27.
  • History in the Making: Renwick Craft Invitational 2011. Exh. cat. p.45, fig.23.
  • Nicholas R. Bell, Ulysses Grant Dietz, Andrew Wagner. 2011 Renwick Craft Invitational: History in the Making. Washington. p. 45, fig. 23.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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