Tea-ceremony water jar (mizusashi) with design of plum branches, Karatsu ware

Detail of a pattern
Image 1 of 1
Download Image IIIF

Terms of Use

Creative Commons

At A Glance

  • Period

    1750-1850
  • Geography

    Nakazato kiln, Karatsu, Saga prefecture, Japan
  • Material

    Stoneware with iron pigment under transparent colorless glaze; lacquered wooden lid
  • Dimension

    H x Diam: 15.4 × 18.2 cm (6 1/16 × 7 3/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1892.27a-c
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1892.27a-c

Object Details

  • Description

    Water-jar, ovoid. Black lacquer cover.
    Clay: dense, gray-white.
    Glaze: brilliant cream, finely crackled in dark brown.
    Decoration: in black, under glaze.
  • Provenance

    To 1892
    Tozo Takayanagi, New York to 1892 [1]
    From 1892 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Tozo Takayanagi in 1892 [2]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] See Original Pottery List, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
    [2] See note 1.
    [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
  • Collection

    Freer Gallery of Art Collection
  • Exhibition History

    The Arts of Japan (July 14, 2012 to January 13, 2013)
    Seasons: Arts of Japan (February 5, 2011 to January 13, 2013)
    Cornucopia: Ceramics of Southern Japan (December 19, 2009 to January 9, 2011)
    Tea Bowls in Bloom: Botanical Decoration on Tea Ceremony Ceramics (February 3 to July 15, 2007)
    Japanese Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to January 17, 1980)
    Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 3 and 4 (February 25, 1956 to January 1, 1963)
    Untitled Exhibition, Japanese Art (October 3, 1947 to February 25, 1956)
    Untitled Exhibition, Japanese Art, 1946 (May 3, 1946 to October 6, 1947)
    Japanese and Korean Pottery, and Korean Bronze (May 2, 1923 to March 22, 1943)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Takayanagi Tozo 高柳陶造 (C.L. Freer source)
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
  • Origin

    Nakazato kiln, Karatsu, Saga prefecture, Japan
  • Credit Line

    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
  • Type

    Vessel
  • Restrictions and Rights

    CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

    This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. 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 National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring