Box with three sculpted lotus flowers inside

Historical period(s)
Southern Song dynasty, mid 12th-early 13th century
Medium
Porcelain with transparent pale blue (qingbbai) glaze
Style
Qingbai ware
Dimensions
H x W: 4.4 x 9.1 cm (1 3/4 x 3 9/16 in)
Geography
China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1916.243a-b
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Container
Type

Box

Keywords
China, Northern Song dynasty (960 - 1127), porcelain, Qingbai ware, Southern Song dynasty (1127 - 1279)
Provenance

Peter Johannes Bahr (died circa 1928), Shanghai, purchased in China [1]

To 1916
Abel William Bahr (1877-1959), New York, NY, acquired from his brother, Peter Johannes Bahr, to 1916 [2]

From 1916 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Abel William Bahr, New York, in 1916 [3]

From 1920
The Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]

Notes:

[1] According to F1916.198a-b, Curatorial Remark 3, Charles Lang Freer, in the object record, F1916.197 and F1916.243 were bought from A. W. Bahr in February 1916, and were said by him to have been purchased by his brother Peter in China.

[2] See Original Pottery List, L. 2474, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[3] See note 2.

[4] 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
Abel William Bahr (C.L. Freer source) 1877-1959
Peter Johannes Bahr 1882-1929

Published References
  • Oriental Ceramics: The World's Great Collections. 12 vols., Tokyo. vol. 10, pl. 48.
  • Dr. John Alexander Pope. Chinese Ceramics and Tom Harrisson. vol. 19, no. 1 Washington and Zurich. pp. 68-69.
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.