Small jar used as tea caddy

Object Details

• Description

  Buff clay. Concentrically trimmed base, scarred by clay loss when excess glaze was chipped away. Ash glaze, stopping above edge of base but running irregularly to and onto base, appearing translucent amber with large patches of opaque light brown streaked with blue. Glaze applied over overall coating of iron slip; iron from slip is pooled in dark brown areas below neck, at lower edge of ash glaze, and inside in bottom. Inside glazed.

• Provenance

  To 1902

  Yamanaka & Company, to 1902 [1]

  From 1902 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1902 [2]

  From 1920

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

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1090, 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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Mino kilns, Gifu prefecture, Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1570s, 1550s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Yamanaka and Co.

• Place

  Japan, Gifu prefecture, Mino kilns

• Topic

  Tea, Mino ware, Art, Muromachi period (1333 - 1573), Stoneware, Japanese Art

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)