Bowl with design of two fish

Bowl: large, deep on bold basal ring. Badly cracked, and repaired with gold lacquer and brass staples.
Clay: hard, gray.
Glaze: cream slip under colorless transparent glaze; closely crackled and stained. Unglazed ring in bottom.
Decoration: fish and leaf design painted in black and brown under glaze.

Historical period(s)
Ming dynasty, 16th century
Medium
Stoneware with two shades of iron pigment under clear glaze; gold lacquer repairs
Style
Cizhou-type ware
Dimensions
H x Diam: 14.7 × 26.5 cm (5 13/16 × 10 7/16 in)
Geography
China, Hebei province, Pengcheng (modern Handan)
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1906.37
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Bowl

Keywords
China, Cizhou ware, fish, iron pigment, lacquer repair, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), stoneware
Provenance

To 1906
Yamanaka & Company, to 1906 [1]

From 1906 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1906 [2]

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

Notes:

[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1456, 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

Bowl: large, deep on bold basal ring. Badly cracked, and repaired with gold lacquer and brass staples.
Clay: hard, gray.
Glaze: cream slip under colorless transparent glaze; closely crackled and stained. Unglazed ring in bottom.
Decoration: fish and leaf design painted in black and brown under glaze.

Published References
  • Daniel Rhodes. Clay and Glazes for the Potter. Arts and Crafts Series New York. b/w pp. 32-33.
  • Yuko Suzuki. Egorai - An Examination of Excavated Examples. vol. 5. pp. 50-77, fig. 9.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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