Black Raku ware tea bowl named Minogame (Mossy-tailed tortoise)

Detail of a pattern
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At A Glance

  • Period

    1605-1637
  • Geography

    Kyoto, Kyoto prefecture, Japan
  • Material

    Earthenware with black raku glaze
  • Dimension

    H x Diam: 8.7 × 12.5 cm (3 7/16 × 4 15/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1899.34a-c
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1899.34a-c

Object Details

  • Artist

    Attributed to Hon'ami Koetsu 本阿弥光悦 (1558-1637)
  • Description

    Tea-bowl of cylindrical shape, flat cut rim, named Mino-game (long-tailed tortoise).
    Clay: coarse dark brown stoneware
    Glaze: dark olive green to brown, uneven mat surface
  • Provenance

    To 1899
    Bunkio Matsuki (1867-1940), Boston, to 1899 [1]
    From 1899 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Bunkio Matsuki in 1899 [2]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 423, 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

    Imperfectly Beautiful: Inventing Japanese Ceramic Style (October 14, 2017 - October 14, 2019)
    The Power to See Beauty (October 14, 2017 to September 6, 2022)
    Tea Ceramics after Koetsu (June 27, 2015 to January 3, 2016)
    Bold and Beautiful: Rinpa in Japanese Art (June 28, 2015 to January 3, 2016)
    Freer and Tea: 100 Years of The Book of Tea (November 19, 2005 to May 29, 2006)
    Japanese Art in the Age of Koetsu (June 6, 1998 to February 15, 1999)
    The Koetsu Tea Bowl (May 15, 1998 to June 23, 2005)
    Kyoto Ceramics (November 9, 1984 to April 25, 1985)
    Boxed In: Japanese Ceramics and Their Storage Boxes (September 23, 1982 to February 17, 1983)
    Japanese Ceramics/Puppets (June 16, 1980 to July 14, 1980)
    Japanese Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to January 17, 1980)
    Japanese Art--Shinto (October 12, 1976 to December 10, 1976)
    Japanese Art (October 2, 1975 to October 8, 1976)
    Japanese Paintings Attributed to Iwasa Matabei (July 1, 1974 to October 1, 1975)
    Japanese Art: Paintings and Pottery (July 1, 1966 to May 2, 1973)
    Japanese Art (January 1, 1963 to July 1, 1966)
    Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 1 and 2 (February 25, 1956 to January 1, 1963)
  • 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

    Vessel
  • Restrictions and Rights

    CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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