Rectangular dish with design of iris

Object Details

• Artist

  Ogata Ihachi (Kyoto Kenzan II) (active 1720-1760)

• Description

  Tray, oblong, in the shape of a poetry card (tanzaku) [Jpn].

  Brilliant cream-white, crackled, lead glaze with rich violet-blue and emerald-green underglaze.

• Signatures

  Mosha Korin ga Kenzan [kao] [Jpn].

• Label

  The analogue for this shape is a paper strip called tanzaku, used for inscribing poems. "Tanzaku dishes" were made by the first Kenzan throughout his career. Those, however, are inscribed with poetry while this piece is painted. The theme, as indicated by the motif of iris, is the "eight bridges" from the Tales of Ise. In this context, the rectangular dish could also be interpreted as one of the planks of the bridge across the iris swamp.

• Provenance

  To 1896

  Bunkio Matsuki (1867-1940), Boston, to 1896 [1]

  From 1896 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Bunkio Matsuki in 1896 [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

  Arts of Japan: Edo Aviary and Poetic License (February 2 to August 4, 2013)

  Poetic License: Making Old Worlds New (February 2 to August 4, 2013)

  The Potter's Brush: The Kenzan Style in Japanese Ceramics (December 9, 2001 to October 27, 2002)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Bunkio Matsuki 松木文恭 (1867-1940) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Kyoto, Kyoto prefecture, Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Container

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1770s, 1780s, 1790s, 1730s, 1740s, 1750s, 1760s, 1800s, 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, 1610s, 1650s, 1640s, 1630s, 1620s, 1690s, 1840s, 1680s, 1850s, 1670s, 1860s, 1660s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Matsuki, Bunkio

• Place

  Kyoto, Japan, Kyoto prefecture

• Topic

  Iris, Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Poetry, Ceramics

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Containers