Mino or Seto ware ewer, used as tea caddy

Detail of a pattern
Image 1 of 4
Download Image IIIF

Terms of Use

Creative Commons

At A Glance

  • Period

    1480-1490
  • Geography

    Aichi prefecture, Japan
  • Material

    Stoneware with iron and ash glazes; ivory lid
  • Dimension

    H x Diam: 8 × 11.1 cm (3 1/8 × 4 3/8 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1897.41a-b
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1897.41a-b

Object Details

  • Description

    Light gray clay. String-cut base. Two lugs on shoulder. Iron glaze covering the body nearly to the foot, splashed over shoulder with ash glaze that has matured on one side as translucent amber, streaked with opaque creamy yellow edged with blue. Base coated with iron wash. Inside glazed.
  • Provenance

    To 1897
    Yamanaka & Company, New York to 1897 [1]
    From 1897 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1897 [2]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 723, 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
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965) (C.L. Freer source)
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
  • Origin

    Aichi 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