Tomb jar

Vase of the type “hu”; flat base on which are five long spurs, triangular in section.
Clay: reddish, sandy texture; fired medium hard.
Glaze: lead silicate; green now turned iridescent and partly worn off; some on base.
Decoration: horizontal rings in relief; two simulated mask and ring handles moulded in relief and applied.
One of a pair with F1902.200.

Historical period(s)
Eastern Han dynasty, early 1st-early 3rd century
Medium
Earthenware with copper-green lead-silicate glaze
Dimensions
H x Diam: 31.5 × 22.8 cm (12 3/8 × 9 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1902.199
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Tomb jar (hu)

Keywords
China, earthenware, Eastern Han dynasty (25 - 220), funerary
Provenance

To 1902
Yamanaka & Company, to 1902 [1]

From 1902 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1902 [2]

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

Notes:

[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1175, 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 the type "hu"; flat base on which are five long spurs, triangular in section.
Clay: reddish, sandy texture; fired medium hard.
Glaze: lead silicate; green now turned iridescent and partly worn off; some on base.
Decoration: horizontal rings in relief; two simulated mask and ring handles moulded in relief and applied.
One of a pair with F1902.200.

Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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