Cup

Beaker-shaped cup, slightly contracted at mid-body, wheel-thrown on wheel revolving clockwise; foot trimmed up to hip, inside of footrim roughly carved.
Clay: stoneware, gray, fine-grained; orange flush on one side (hot side?) near lower edge of glaze.
Glaze: thin caramel-brown iron-based glaze, applied by dipping, stopping above hip.
Mark: none.

Historical period(s)
Vijaya period, 14th-15th century
Medium
Stoneware with iron glaze
Dimensions
H x Diam: 7.9 x 7.9 cm (3 1/8 x 3 1/8 in)
Geography
Central Vietnam, Binh Dinh province, possibly Go Sanh kilns
Credit Line
Gift of Ambassador and Mrs. Jack W. Lydman
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S2010.3
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Cup

Keywords
stoneware, Vietnam, Vijaya period (1000 - 1471)
Provenance

From 1965-69 to 2005
Ambassador Jack Wilson Lydman (1914-2005), acquired in Jakarta, Indonesia between 1965 and 1969. [1]

From 2005 to 2010
Janine Lydman, Washington, DC and Berryville, Virginia, ownership transferred to Mrs. Lydman after the death of her husband, Ambassador Jack Wilson Lydman. [2]

From 2010
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Washington, DC and Janine Lydman, Berryville, Virginia. [3]

Notes:

[1] See Curatorial Remark 3 in the object record.

[2] See note 1.

[3] See note 1. See Deed of Gift, object file, Collections Management Office.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Mrs. Janine Lydman
Ambassador Jack Wilson Lydman 1914-2005

Description

Beaker-shaped cup, slightly contracted at mid-body, wheel-thrown on wheel revolving clockwise; foot trimmed up to hip, inside of footrim roughly carved.
Clay: stoneware, gray, fine-grained; orange flush on one side (hot side?) near lower edge of glaze.
Glaze: thin caramel-brown iron-based glaze, applied by dipping, stopping above hip.
Mark: none.

Label

The iconic beaker-shaped form of the “Cham” cup, with its caramel-brown glaze, was first introduced by Roxanna Brown (1977). Cups of this distinctive form collected in Qui Nhon, Binh Dinh province, Central Vietnam, were among the first clues to the existence of kiln sites nearby. Qui Nhon was formerly Vijaya, capital of the Cham polity of the same name, which flourished from ca. 1000 until it was defeated by the Vietnamese in 1471. The Go Sanh kilns sites were excavated in the 1990s. The Chams were great long-distance traders, and scholars debate whether the glazed-ceramic technology was introduced from northern Vietnam or from southern China.

Published References
  • Louise Allison Cort, George Williams, David P. Rehfuss. Ceramics in Mainland Southeast Asia. Washington. .
Collection Area(s)
Southeast Asian Art
Web Resources
Ceramics in Mainland Southeast Asia
Google Cultural Institute
F|S Southeast Asia
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