Guan ware Vase with tubular handles

Flower-jar: small; eight-sided, of pear-shaped outline. Two tubular handles (filled with glaze).
Clay: hard, fine.
Glaze: light gray-green; brown wash on foot. Coarse brown crackle.

Historical period(s)
Southern Song dynasty, 1127-1279
Medium
Stoneware with Guan glaze
Style
Guan ware
Dimensions
H x W: 10.7 x 7.7 cm (4 3/16 x 3 1/16 in)
Geography
China, Zhejiang province, Hangzhou
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1911.347
On View Location
Freer Gallery 13: Looking Out, Looking In: Art in Late Imperial China
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Vase

Keywords
China, Guan ware, Southern Song dynasty (1127 - 1279), stoneware
Provenance

To 1911
Cheng Tang, China, to 1911 [1]

From 1911 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Cheng Tang in 1911 [2]

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

Notes:

[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 2132, 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)

Chen Tang (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919

Description

Flower-jar: small; eight-sided, of pear-shaped outline. Two tubular handles (filled with glaze).
Clay: hard, fine.
Glaze: light gray-green; brown wash on foot. Coarse brown crackle.

Label

The glaze on this small vase, a product of the Jiaotan kiln, shows the dense, dark crackle characteristic of imperially sponsored Guan ware. Crazing occurs accidentally as the fired vessel cools, but the Guan crackle was induced by formulating the glaze to shrink more than the clay body, causing the glaze to fracture. Some Guan wares were made from dark clay that lends its color to the glaze crackle; sometimes, the color of the crackle was also artificially enhanced. The glaze that envelopes Guan ware, applied in several layers, is often thicker than the thin clay body.

Published References
  • Warren E. Cox. The Book of Pottery and Porcelain. 2 vols., New York. vol. 1: p. 146, pl. 39.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese 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.

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