Bottle

Vase (meiping). Baluster form with spreading base; low basal ring. Blue-and-white.
Clay: dense, buff, not very hard. Underfired porcelain.
Glaze: soft cream-white, discolored. Underfired clear glaze.
Decoration: painted in cobalt, under glaze. Central motif on shoulder, 2 phoenixes with streaming tails. 4 other tiers of cloud and flower patterns.

Historical period(s)
Ming dynasty, mid 16th-early 17th century
Medium
Underfired porcelain with cobalt pigment beneath opaque underfired glaze
Style
Jingdezhen ware
Dimensions
H x W: 23.4 x 11.9 cm (9 3/16 x 4 11/16 in)
Geography
China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1907.374
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Bottle (meiping)

Keywords
China, Jingdezhen ware, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), porcelain
Provenance

To 1907
Yamanaka & Company, to 1907 [1]

From 1907 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), given by Yamanaka & Company in 1907 [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. 1601, 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 (meiping). Baluster form with spreading base; low basal ring. Blue-and-white.
Clay: dense, buff, not very hard. Underfired porcelain.
Glaze: soft cream-white, discolored. Underfired clear glaze.
Decoration: painted in cobalt, under glaze. Central motif on shoulder, 2 phoenixes with streaming tails. 4 other tiers of cloud and flower patterns.

Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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