Ritual water sprinkler (kundika or jeongbyeong)

Historical period(s)
Goryeo period, late 12th - early 13th century
Medium
Stoneware with white and black inlays under celadon glaze; bronze repair
Dimensions
H x W x D: 31 x 16.1 x 13.8 cm (12 3/16 x 6 5/16 x 5 7/16 in)
Geography
Korea, Jeollabuk-do province, Buan county, Buan kilns, Yucheon-ri group
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1909.44a-b
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Ritual water sprinkler (kundika or jeongbyeong)

Keywords
black inlay, Buddhism, crane, duck, Goryeo period (918 - 1392), green glaze, Korea, kundika, lotus, stoneware, tree, water, white inlay
Provenance

To 1909Yamanaka & Company, to 1909 [1]From 1909 to 1919Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1909 [2]From 1920Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]Notes:[1] Undated folder sheet note. Also see Original Pottery List, L. 1933, 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)

Yamanaka and Co. (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919

Label

This vessel, used for drinking water, illustrates the effectiveness of inlay for pictorial decoration on ceramics.  Black and white inlays within incised motifs portray a tranquil scene in which a willow tree stands alongside a lotus pond.  Similar landscapes appear on bronze ritual sprinklers inlaid with silver wire. This piece was made at the Puan kiln complex in southwestern Korea.

Published References

Evelyn B. McCune. The Arts of Korea: An Illustrated History. Rutland, VT and Tokyo, 1961 -1962. cat. 170.Byung-chang Rhee. Masterpieces of Korean Art. 3 vols., Tokyo. cat. 133.Lorraine d'Oremieux Warner. Eastern Art: An Annual. vols. 2 - 3, Philadelphia, 1930 - 1931. pl. 49, fig. 84.G. St. G.M. Gompertz. Korean Celadon. Faber monographs on pottery and porcelain, 1st American ed. New York. pl. 65.Oriental Ceramics (Toyo Toji Taikan): The World's Great Collections. 12 vols., Tokyo. pl. 76.Evelyn B. McCune. Korean Pottery of the Koryo Period (935-1392). vol. 2, no. 32 Washington, April 12, 1945. p. 2.Ann Yonemura. Korean Art in Western Collections, 5: Korean Art in the Freer Gallery of Art. vol. 4, no. 2 Los Angeles, June 1983. pp. 4-15, pl. 6.M. Kerslake. Korean Pottery. vol. 5, no. 2 London, February 1951. p. 23.Grace Dunham Guest. Chinese Porcelain at the Freer Gallery of Art. vol. 20, no. 1 Columbus, OH, January 1941. p. 24, fig. 8.Robert P. Griffing Jr. The Art of the Korean Potter: Silla, Koryo, Yi. New York and Greenwich, CT, Spring 1968. p. 39, fig. 8.Robert L. Hobson, Edward S. Morse, Rose Sickler Williams. Chinese, Corean, and Japanese Potteries: Descriptive Catalogue of the Loan Exhibition. Exh. cat. New York, March 2-21, 1914. cat. 135, p. 106.Korean Art in the Freer and Sackler Galleries. Washington, D.C. no. 6.30, p. 115.Dr. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy Francis Stewart Kershaw. A Chinese Buddhist Water Vessel and Its Indian Prototype. vol. 3, no. 2/3 Washington and Zurich, 1928 - 1929. p. 123, fig. 7.Ann Yonemura. A Pioneer Collection of Korean Art. vol. 118, no. 258 London, August 1983. p. 151.Sekai toji zenshu (Catalogue of the World's Ceramics). 16 vols, Tokyo, 1955-1958. p. 294, fig. 260.

Collection Area(s)
Korean Art
Web Resources
Korean Ceramics
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.

citation | Save this image How to download an image | Request Permission | Terms of Use