Kutani ware jar for "Tomo shiraga" brand sake

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At A Glance

  • Period

    19th century
  • Geography

    Ishikawa prefecture, Japan
  • Material

    Stoneware with white slip and cobalt pigment under clear colorless glaze
  • Dimension

    H x Diam: 49.1 × 35.7 cm (19 5/16 × 14 1/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1901.143
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1901.143

Object Details

  • Description

    Large jar. Repaired with gold lacquer.
    Clay: coarse, hard, gray. Stoneware.
    Glaze: cream-white slip, showing brush marks under clear glaze. Pitted and fissured. where slip applied over trimmed areas.
    Inscriptions: (front) Tomo shiraga [Jpn]; (back) Mitsumata Kutani zo [Jpn].
  • Inscriptions

    1. (C.L. Freer Notes, undated) Inscription painted on side: "Tomo Shirage" in large letters. "Friend, white hair." "Frined always, even with white hair." An inscription painted on other side: "Mitsumata, Kyukoku, Tsu-kuru, family name, name, made."
  • Provenance

    To 1901
    Yamanaka & Company, New York, NY, to 1901 [1]
    From 1901 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1901 [2]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1036, 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

    Untitled Exhibition, Japanese Hanging Scrolls, Ceramics, and Sculpture (October 2, 1947 to January 23, 1951)
    Untitled Exhibition, Japanese Ceramics and Painting (May 2, 1946 to October 2, 1947)
    Japanese and Korean Pottery, and Korean Bronze (May 2, 1923 to March 22, 1943)
  • Previous custodian or owner

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

    Ishikawa prefecture, Japan
  • Credit Line

    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
  • Type

    Vessel
  • Restrictions and Rights

    Usage Conditions Apply

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