Tea bowl in Oribe style

Fine-grained, light gray clay. Underglaze iron painted decoration of willow branches. Clear glaze covering inside and part of outside, brushed on, somewhat underfired. Areas of copper-green ash glaze and iron wash on outside. Base and foot rim unglazed.

Historical period(s)
Edo period, 1800-1868
Medium
Stoneware with iron decoration under clear glaze, copper-green ash glaze, and iron wash
Style
Seto ware, Revival Oribe type
Dimensions
H x Diam: 8.9 × 12.7 cm (3 1/2 × 5 in)
Geography
Japan, Aichi prefecture, Seto, Akazu village
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1902.235
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Tea bowl (chawan)

Keywords
Edo period (1615 - 1868), Japan, Seto ware, stoneware, tea
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] Undated folder sheet note. See Original Pottery List, L. 1207, 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

Fine-grained, light gray clay. Underglaze iron painted decoration of willow branches. Clear glaze covering inside and part of outside, brushed on, somewhat underfired. Areas of copper-green ash glaze and iron wash on outside. Base and foot rim unglazed.

Published References
  • Louise Allison Cort. Seto and Mino Ceramics. Washington and Honolulu, 1992. cat. 114, p. 203.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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