Yaozhou ware bowl

Bowl with small foot and slightly flaring rim.
Clay: grayish-brown stoneware.
Glaze: transparent, grayish-green, bubbly.
Decoration: moulded, fish among waves inside.

Historical period(s)
Jin dynasty, 12th-mid 13th century
Medium
Stoneware with celadon glaze
Style
Yaozhou ware
Dimensions
H x W: 3.7 x 9.4 cm (1 7/16 x 3 11/16 in)
Geography
China, Shaanxi province
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1961.20
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Bowl

Keywords
China, fish, green glaze, Jin dynasty (1115 - 1234), Yaozhou ware
Provenance

From at least 1954 or 1955 to 1961
C. T. Loo & Company, New York, from at least 1954 or 1955 [1]

From 1961
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from C. T. Loo & Company on May 3, 1961 [2]

Notes:

[1] See A. G. Wenley's letter to Frank Caro, dated April 25, 1961, in which he lists the dish among the objects left with the Freer Gallery by Caro for consideration of purchase in 1954 and 1955, copy in object file.

[2] See C. T. Loo's & Co.'s invoice, dated May 3, 1961, copy in object file.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

C.T. Loo & Company 1914-1948

Description

Bowl with small foot and slightly flaring rim.
Clay: grayish-brown stoneware.
Glaze: transparent, grayish-green, bubbly.
Decoration: moulded, fish among waves inside.

Label

The olive green color of this Yaozhou bowl results in part from its having been fired in a dome-shaped kiln using coal, the common fuel in north China where firewood was scarce. The translucent blue-green of the nearby Longquan ware bottle was achieved using wood in a long, multichambered "dragon" kiln that stretched tunnel-like up a gentle hill. The different colors of the underlying clay bodies of Longquan and Yaozhou wares also affect the final color of their glazes.

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