Tenmoku style tea bowl, Ryumonji kilns

Temmoku-style tea bowl. Squared foot trimmed in spiral.
Clay: hard, vibrant. Dark gray on interior, dark matte brown on surface.
Glaze: brilliant mahogany-brown, splashed with copper-brown, speckled with yellow.

Historical period(s)
Edo period, 18th-19th century
Medium
Stoneware with iron glaze
Style
Satsuma ware, Ryumonji kilns
Dimensions
H x Diam: 4.5 × 11 cm (1 3/4 × 4 5/16 in)
Geography
Japan, Kagoshima prefecture, Kajiki, Ryumonji kilns
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1899.39
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Tea bowl (tenmoku chawan)

Keywords
brown and black glaze, Edo period (1615 - 1868), Japan, Ryumonji ware, Satsuma ware, stoneware, tea
Provenance

To 1899
Yamanaka & Company, to 1899 [1]

From 1899 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1899 [2]

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

Notes:

[1] Undated folder sheet note. See Original Pottery List, L. 640, 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

Temmoku-style tea bowl. Squared foot trimmed in spiral.
Clay: hard, vibrant. Dark gray on interior, dark matte brown on surface.
Glaze: brilliant mahogany-brown, splashed with copper-brown, speckled with yellow.

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