Inkstone box in imitation of Koetsu

Object Details

• Artist

  False seal of Hon'ami Koetsu 本阿弥光悦 (1558-1637)

• Description

  Clay: soft, dense, white. Raku type.

  Glaze: light salmon-pink and cream; crackled.

  Decoration: in green, brown, and cream, under glaze: mountain landscape with waning moon (outside of lid), ferns (warabi) and stream (inside lid, base).

  Painted square seal on the bottom of base.

• Marks

  Seal: "Koetsu" written with iron pigment on bottom of base, in seal script inside square frame.

• Provenance

  Possibly Hachisuka Collection [1]

  Ikeda Seisuke (1839-1900), Kyoto, reportedly purchased in Tokushima, province of Awa, circa 1885 [2]

  To 1900

  Bunkio Matsuki (1867-1940), Boston, to 1900 [3]

  From 1900 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Bunkio Matsuki in 1900 [4]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [5]

  Notes:

  [1] See Curatorial Remark 7, L.A. Cort, 1986, in the object record, for information regarding the possibility that this object was formerly in the Lord Hachisuka Collection.

  [2] According to Curatorial Remark 5, an Envelope File note, in the object record: "Bunkio Matsuki, 1900: "Old Mr. Ikeda purchased about 15 years ago in Tokushima, Province of Awa."

  [3] See Original Pottery List, L. 790, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [4] See note 3.

  [5] 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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Hachisuka Collection

  Ikeda Seisuke (1839-1900)

  Bunkio Matsuki 松木文恭 (1867-1940) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Tokyo, Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Container

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. 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

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1900s, 1770s, 1780s, 1790s, 1730s, 1740s, 1750s, 1760s, 1800s, 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, 1610s, 1650s, 1640s, 1630s, 1620s, 1690s, 1840s, 1680s, 1850s, 1670s, 1860s, 1660s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Matsuki, Bunkio, Hachisuka Collection, Ikeda, Seisuke

• Place

  Tokyo, Japan

• Topic

  Mountains, Charles Lang Freer collection, Landscapes, Art, Moon, Outer space, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Pottery, Ceramics, Meiji era (1868 - 1912), Raku ware

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Containers