Ofuke or Seto ware sake bottle

Detail of a pattern
Image 1 of 4
Download Image IIIF

Terms of Use

Creative Commons

At A Glance

  • Period

    1831-1868
  • Geography

    Nagoya or Seto, Aichi prefecture, Japan
  • Material

    Stoneware with cobalt pigment under clear green-toned glaze
  • Dimension

    H x Diam: 28.4 × 14.5 cm (11 3/16 × 5 11/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1898.452
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1898.452

Object Details

  • Artist

    Kato Soshiro (1802-1877)
  • Description

    Light gray clay. Incised and stamped motifs accented with underglaze cobalt. Oval potter's seal "Shuntai" impressed on base to left of center. Clear glaze, gray-green in tone, crackled and stained brown by sake. Foot unglazed.
  • Marks

    Shuntai 春岱
    Shuntai 春岱
  • Provenance

    To 1898
    Yamanaka & Company, to 1898 [1]
    From 1898 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1898 [2]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 81, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. The majority of Charles Lang Freer’s purchases from Yamanaka & Company were made at its New York branch. Yamanaka & Company maintained branch offices, at various times, in Boston, Chicago, London, Peking, Shanghai, Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto. During the summer, the company also maintained seasonal locations in Newport, Bar Harbor, and Atlantic City.
    [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

    Japanese Ceramics from Seto and Mino (January 19, 1996 to August 5, 2001)
    The Glazed Ceramic Tradition of Mino and Seto Wares (April 26, 1985 to January 13, 1986)
  • Previous custodian or owner

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

    Nagoya or Seto, 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