Vase in style of Oribe ware

Dense, pale gray clay. Oval seal, “Banko,” impressed in center of base. Thin and thick vertical stripes painted in iron pigment and white slip, on two opposing walls. Clear glaze; splashes of copper-green on neck, shoulder, and walls. Base unglazed.

Historical period(s)
Edo period or Meiji era, 1832-1890
Medium
Stoneware with iron pigment and white slip under colorless and copper-green glazes
Style
Banko ware
Dimensions
H x Diam: 19 × 3 cm (7 1/2 × 1 3/16 in)
Geography
Japan, Mie prefecture, Kuwana
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1900.61
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Vase

Keywords
Banko ware, Edo period (1615 - 1868), Japan, Meiji era (1868 - 1912), Oribe style ware, stoneware
Provenance

Probably Ikeda Seisuke (1839-1900), Kyoto [1]

To 1900
Bunkio Matsuki (1867-1940), Boston, to 1900 [2]

From 1900 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Bunkio Matsuki in 1900 [3]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]

Notes:

[1] Curatorial Remarks, Louise A. Cort, 1986: "Since many objects on the list to either side of this piece were acquired from the Ikeda collection through Matsuki, it is highly likely that this piece also came from that source."

[2] See Original Pottery List, L. 755, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[3] See note 2.

[4] 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)

Ikeda Seisuke 1839-1900
Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
Bunkio Matsuki (C.L. Freer source) 1867-1940

Description

Dense, pale gray clay. Oval seal, "Banko," impressed in center of base. Thin and thick vertical stripes painted in iron pigment and white slip, on two opposing walls. Clear glaze; splashes of copper-green on neck, shoulder, and walls. Base unglazed.

Marking(s)

Seal: Oval seal, "Banko 萬古," impressed in center of base.

Label

The familiar stripes that figure in seventeenth-century Oribe-ware decoration are translated into the central motif on the twisted form of this slender vase. The body of the vase was formed in a mold, but details of the base and the faceted edges were carved by hand.  In the eighteenth century a wealthy merchant of the coastal city of Kuwana in Ise Province (modern Mie Prefecture) established the Banko kiln and sold the products in both Kuwana and Edo.  The wares featured overglaze enamel decoration with red predominating.  The kiln's activity lapsed after the merchant's death but was revived in 1831 by a Kuwana antique dealer with support from the branch of the Matsudaira daimyo house based in Kuwana.  The kiln prospered in the export market that developed after 1859 and still operates today.

Published References
  • Louise Allison Cort. Seto and Mino Ceramics. Washington and Honolulu, 1992. cat. 120, p. 210.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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