Vase

Vase with pear-shaped body and tall slightly flaring neck.
Clay: light gray, vitreous, brown at exposed footrim.
Glaze: thick, opaque lavender gray-blue with purple splashes; gray-blue glaze under foot.

Historical period(s)
Northern Song or Jin dynasty, 12th century
Medium
Stoneware with Jun glaze and copper pigment
Style
Jun ware
Dimensions
H x W: 28 x 12.8 cm (11 x 5 1/16 in)
Geography
China, Henan province, Yuxian
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1950.8
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Vase

Keywords
China, Jin dynasty (1115 - 1234), Jun ware, Northern Song dynasty (960 - 1127), stoneware
Provenance

From 1947 to 1950
C. T. Loo & Company, New York, from November 1947 [1]

From 1950
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from C. T. Loo & Company on June 28, 1950 [2]

Notes:

[1] See C. T. Loo's stockcard no. CHL 7/939: "Porcellanous bottle vase, on high foot ring, pear shaped body with tall tubular neck expanding towards the lip. Entirely coated with a grayish blue glaze with large purplish red splashes imitating clouds so called sky after the rain. Chun ware SUNG," C. T. Loo & Frank Caro Archive, Musée Guimet, Paris, copy in object file. According to an annotation on the stockcard, the object was acquired in China. On January 5, 1950, it was taken by Loo to the Freer Gallery for examination.

[2] See C. T. Loo's invoice, dated June 28, 1950, copy in object file.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

C.T. Loo & Company 1914-1948

Description

Vase with pear-shaped body and tall slightly flaring neck.
Clay: light gray, vitreous, brown at exposed footrim.
Glaze: thick, opaque lavender gray-blue with purple splashes; gray-blue glaze under foot.

Label

Pear-shaped bottles or vases with elongated, gently everted necks appear in Jun ware as well as other northern ceramic wares of the twelfth century. The semi-opaque sky-blue glaze of some Jun ware vessels approximates that of Ru ware, but other pieces like this bottle bear splashes of copper pigment fired to a red or purple color.

Published References
  • Oriental Ceramics: The World's Great Collections. 12 vols., Tokyo. vol. 10, pl. 19.
  • Hai wai i chen [Chinese Art in Overseas Collections]. Taipei, 1985. vol. 3: p. 107.
  • Daniel Rhodes. Clay and Glazes for the Potter. Arts and Crafts Series New York. pp. 32-33.
  • Chinese Art Society of America. Chinese Art Recently Acquired by American Museums. vol. 5 Honolulu. p. 73, fig. 11.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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