Shodai ware rice bowl, used as tea bowl

Detail of a pattern
Image 1 of 2
Download Image IIIF

Terms of Use

Creative Commons

At A Glance

  • Period

    1790-1850
  • Geography

    Kumamoto prefecture, Japan
  • Material

    Stoneware with bamboo-grass-ash glaze
  • Dimension

    H x Diam: 6.6 × 11.5 cm (2 5/8 × 4 1/2 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1899.68
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1899.68

Object Details

  • Description

    Teabowl. With plain rim, brown lacquer repairs, well-cut foot.
    Clay: coarse stoneware fired reddish brown.
    Glaze: clear with tan cloudy patches, misfired to dull olive tan on one side.
  • Provenance

    To 1899
    Yamanaka & Company, to 1899 [1]
    From 1899 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1899 [2]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] Undated folder sheet note. Also see Original Pottery List, L. 656, 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

    Cornucopia: Ceramics of Southern Japan (December 19, 2009 to January 9, 2011)
    Japanese Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to January 17, 1980)
  • Previous custodian or owner

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

    Kumamoto 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