Tea ceremony water jar, hitoeguchi type

Detail of a pattern
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At A Glance

On View
  • Period

    1620-1624
  • Geography

    Seto, Aichi prefecture, Japan
  • Material

    Stoneware with iron and ash glazes; lacquered wooden lid
  • Dimension

    H x Diam: 16.3 × 20.4 cm (6 7/16 × 8 1/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1898.454a-b
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1898.454a-b

Object Details

  • Description

    Medium gray clay. Flat base trimmed concentrically, edge beveled. Single hoizontal groove incised around midpoint of body, partially hidden by glaze. Iron glaze stopping above foot on outside, just below rim on inside; color ranging from mahogany brown to opaque rust brown where thick, with iridescent surface; splashed with large patches of ash glaze that appear translucent amber, crackled; iron slip on outside wall below glaze, base, and interior. Glossy crescent-shaped area on base where piece rested on rim of larger jar.
  • 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. 96, 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

    The Peacock Room Comes to America [2022] (September 3, 2022 - ongoing)
    The Peacock Room Comes to America [2017-2019] (October 14, 2017 to January 2, 2019)
    The Peacock Room Comes to America [2011-2016] (April 9, 2011 to January 4, 2016)
    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)
    James McNeill Whistler at the Freer Gallery of Art (May 11, 1984 to December 5, 1984)
    Japanese Ceramics from Past to Present (February 18, 1983 to February 16, 1984)
  • Previous custodian or owner

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

    Seto, Aichi prefecture, Japan
  • Credit Line

    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
  • Type

    Vessel
  • On View

    Freer Gallery 12: The Peacock Room Comes to America
  • Restrictions and Rights

    CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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