Tea ceremony water jar with inscribed line of poem, unknown Raku ware workshop

Object Details

• Artist

  Incised mark of Kawakami Fuhaku 川上不白 (1719-1807)

• Description

  Tea ceremony freshwater jar (mizusashi [JPN]). Cylindrical. Gold lacquer repairs.

  Clay: coarse, grayish; Raku type.

  Glaze: brilliant, of mingled red-browns and olive; iridescent. Red Raku glaze, reduced in areas to gray.

  Decoration: in white slip, under glaze: "auspicious clouds."

  Inscription: in white slip, under glaze. Cipher (kao), incised in base.

• Inscriptions

  Inscription reads: "Good omen, grass, year by year, thrive --

  Inscription reads: "Good omen, grass, year by year, thrive --

• Provenance

  To 1901

  Siegfried Bing (1838-1905), Paris to 1901 [1]

  From 1901 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Siegfried Bing, Paris in 1901

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 939, 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

  Special Exhibition of Japanese Pottery (October 29, 1971 to October 31, 1971)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Siegfried Bing (1838-1905) (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

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• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

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

• Name

  Bing, Siegfried, Freer, Charles Lang

• Place

  Kyoto, Japan, Kyoto prefecture

• Topic

  Water, Tea, Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Lacquer repair, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Lacquer, Iridescence, Ceramics, Raku ware

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)