Kakiemon ware jar

Large white porcelain Kakeimon jar decorated with floral patterned medallions and arabesques in overglaze enamels. (Enamels are blue, turquoise, red, yellow, and black.)

Historical period(s)
Edo period, 1670-1680
Medium
Porcelain with enamels over clear glaze
Style
Arita ware, Kakiemon type
Dimensions
H x W: 40.4 x 31 cm (15 7/8 x 12 3/16 in)
Geography
Japan, Saga prefecture, Arita
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1956.13
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Jar

Keywords
Arita ware, Kakiemon type, Edo period (1615 - 1868), flower, Japan, porcelain
Provenance

To 1956
Heeramaneck Galleries, New York. [1]

From 1956
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Heeramaneck Galleries, New York. [2]

Notes:

[1] Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record.

[2] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Heeramaneck Galleries

Description

Large white porcelain Kakeimon jar decorated with floral patterned medallions and arabesques in overglaze enamels. (Enamels are blue, turquoise, red, yellow, and black.)

Label

The eclectic decoration of this jar reflects both the Chinese models for Japanese porcelain decoration and the taste and demand of the European market.  Three large panels frame compositions borrowed from Chinese porcelain, paintings, or woodblock prints.  Peonies and iris appear together in one panel, while chrysanthemums and orchids are paired in the other two panels.  The symmetrical, columnar arrangements of abstract flowers and foliage separating the panels are related to European designs.

Published References
  • Oriental Ceramics: The World's Great Collections. 12 vols., Tokyo. vol. 10, pl. 177.
  • Mayuyama Junkichi. Japanese Art in the West. Tokyo. pl. 394.
  • H. Batterson Boger. The Traditional Arts of Japan: A Complete Illustrated Guide. Garden City. pl. 13.
  • Dr. John Alexander Pope, Thomas Lawton, Harold P. Stern. The Freer Gallery of Art. 2 vols., Washington and Tokyo, 1971-1972. cat. 105, vol. 2: p. 180.
  • Masterpieces of Chinese and Japanese Art: Freer Gallery of Art handbook. Washington, 1976. p. 85.
  • Oriental Art Recently Acquired by American Museums. vol. 11 Honolulu. p. 90, fig. 13.
  • Hugo Munsterberg. The Ceramic Art of Japan: A Handbook for Collectors., 1st ed. Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo. p. 164, pl. 92.
  • Maureen Mackey. Experience Clay. Davis Studio Series, 2nd ed. Worcester, Massachusetts. p. 169, fig. 5-46.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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