Karamono tea caddy, bunrin type

Detail of a pattern
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At A Glance

  • Period

    13th-15th century
  • Geography

    Possibly Fujian province, China
  • Material

    Stoneware with iron and ash glazes; ivory lid
  • Dimension

    H x Diam: 5.1 × 6.5 cm (2 × 2 9/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1897.42a-b
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1897.42a-b

Object Details

  • Description

    Tea caddy, taikai shape (taikai chaire [Jpn]).
    Small chip in rim. Ivory lid
    Clay: fine, light-weight, grayish. Glossy reddish-brown on surface.
    Glaze: rich reddish-brown, splashed with gray-green and dull yellow. Two thin layers of glaze. Interior partially glazed, probably by accident.
  • 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. 724, 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

    Mind Over Matter: Zen in Medieval Japan (March 5, 2022 - July 24, 2022)
    Imperfectly Beautiful: Inventing Japanese Ceramic Style (October 14, 2017 - October 14, 2019)
    Chinese Ceramics for Tea in Japan (March 8 to September 14, 2014)
    Zen, Tea, and Chinese Art in Medieval Japan (December 13, 2014 to June 14, 2015)
  • Previous custodian or owner

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

    Possibly Fujian province, China
  • Credit Line

    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
  • Type

    Vessel
  • Restrictions and Rights

    Usage Conditions Apply

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