Bairin ware vase

Bottle: tall hexagonal, compound form. Broken and repaired at base of neck.
Clay: dense, grayish. Earthenware.
Glaze: brilliant, mottled green, with brownish areas; slight iridescence; crackled. Lead glaze. Clear glaze covering base. Three spur-marks on base.
Decoration: molded in paste in low relief; bird-and-flower motifs on six panels on neck, vinescroll sprays on shoulder, lotus-petal band above foot.

Historical period(s)
Edo period, first half of 19th century
Medium
Earthenware with copper-green lead glaze
Style
Bairin ware
Dimensions
H x Diam: 32.5 × 12.5 cm (12 13/16 × 4 15/16 in)
Geography
Japan, Shiga prefecture
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1906.19
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Vase

Keywords
Bairin ware, earthenware, Edo period (1615 - 1868), Japan, lead glaze
Provenance

To 1906
Spier Collection, to 1906 [1]

From 1906 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), puchased from the Spier Collection in 1906 [2]

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

Notes:

[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 104, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[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)

Julius Spier (C.L. Freer source) 1848-1923
Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919

Description

Bottle: tall hexagonal, compound form. Broken and repaired at base of neck.
Clay: dense, grayish. Earthenware.
Glaze: brilliant, mottled green, with brownish areas; slight iridescence; crackled. Lead glaze. Clear glaze covering base. Three spur-marks on base.
Decoration: molded in paste in low relief; bird-and-flower motifs on six panels on neck, vinescroll sprays on shoulder, lotus-petal band above foot.

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.