Bulb bowl with impressed character san (three)

Bulb-bowl: low, circular, on three cloud-scroll feet. Two rows of studs. Incised numeral san (three) and ring of spur-marks on the base. Wood stand.
Clay: hard, dense, gray.
Glaze: inside – mingled lavender, green-blue, and light gray; “earth-worm markings.” Outside – mingled crimson and gray-blue; olive on salient parts.

Historical period(s)
Yuan or Ming dynasty, 14th-15th century
Medium
Stoneware with Jun glaze and copper pigment
Style
Jun ware
Dimensions
H x Diam: 8.8 × 22.6 cm (3 7/16 × 8 7/8 in)
Geography
China, Henan province
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1913.150
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Bowl

Keywords
China, Jun ware, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), stoneware, Yuan dynasty (1279 - 1368)
Provenance

To 1913
Yamanaka & Company, New York to 1913 [1]

From 1913 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company, New York in 1913 [2]

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

Notes:

[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 2378, Freer Galley 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)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
Yamanaka and Co. (C.L. Freer source) 1917-1965

Description

Bulb-bowl: low, circular, on three cloud-scroll feet. Two rows of studs. Incised numeral san (three) and ring of spur-marks on the base. Wood stand.
Clay: hard, dense, gray.
Glaze: inside - mingled lavender, green-blue, and light gray; "earth-worm markings." Outside - mingled crimson and gray-blue; olive on salient parts.

Label

Potted plants that changed with the seasons filled the interiors of palaces and wealthy homes in China. This sturdy bulb bowl was part of a set acquired for such use. Stamped on its base is the numeral "three," for ease of finding the matching size of saucer. Blue glaze was a perennial favorite on plant containers as it offered an effective way to set off the colors of the foliage and flowers. The lavender-blue glaze of this bowl, called Jun, was invented at kilns in northern China and revived later at southern kilns.

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