Bowl

Shape: Small, shallow cup with rounded walls, upright plain rim; low, everted footrim.
Clay: Stoneware, reddish brown on surface where visible on unglazed lower body and foot.
Glaze: Jun glaze, underfired and not completely vitrified, therefore appearing opaque, ivory-toned, with wide, fine-line craackle; some small brown pinholes in interior where glaze has pulled away from a speck of dust; irregular thick areas around rim on outside where applications of glaze overlapped.
Decoration: None.

Historical period(s)
Jin dynasty, 12th-mid 13th century
Medium
Stoneware with oxidized Jun glaze
Style
Jun ware
Dimensions
H x W x D: 3.6 x 10 x 10 cm (1 7/16 x 3 15/16 x 3 15/16 in)
Geography
China, Henan province
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Maureen R. Jacoby in memory of Rolf Jacoby
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1996.6
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Bowl

Keywords
China, Jin dynasty (1115 - 1234), Jun ware, stoneware
Provenance

From 1947-1950 to 1991
Mr. Rolf R. Jacoby (died 1989) and Mrs. Maureen R. Jacoby (died 2002), Centreville, MD and Washington, DC, acquired by Rolf R. Jacoby in Korea between 1947-1950 [1]

From 1991
Freer Gallery of Art, given by Mrs. Maureen R. Jacoby in 1991 [2]

Notes:

[1] "This object, along with the others given with it, was acquired by Rolf Jacoby, the donor's late husband, in Korea between 1947 and 1950, while he served as a diplomat" (according to a note by Kate Theimer, November 28, 1995, in the object record).

[2] See note 1. Although accessioned in 1991, this object was transferred from the Freer Study Collection to the permanent collection on April 18, 1996.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Mr. Rolf R. Jacoby and Mrs. Maureen R. Jacoby
Mrs. Maureen R. Jacoby 1927– 2002

Description

Shape: Small, shallow cup with rounded walls, upright plain rim; low, everted footrim.
Clay: Stoneware, reddish brown on surface where visible on unglazed lower body and foot.
Glaze: Jun glaze, underfired and not completely vitrified, therefore appearing opaque, ivory-toned, with wide, fine-line craackle; some small brown pinholes in interior where glaze has pulled away from a speck of dust; irregular thick areas around rim on outside where applications of glaze overlapped.
Decoration: None.

Label

Imperfect firing of this cup created the unintended ivory glaze color instead of the desired blue typical of Jun ware. This accident evidently did not prevent the cup's owners from treasuring its warm color, smooth texture, and decorative crackle, as shown by the even wear on the glaze.

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