Tea bowl with inscribed poem

Object Details

• Artist

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

• Description

  Tea bowl with inscribed poem.

  Clay: soft, dense.

  Glaze: warm, light-gray, crackled; outside - splashed with pale blue, violet, and gray-white. Iridescent inside. White Raku glaze.

  Inscription and signature in black under glaze: "Koetsu" and cipher (kao).

• Signatures

  "Koetsu" in black underglaze

• Inscriptions

  Inscription in black under glaze: cipher (kao).

• Provenance

  To 1902

  Bunkio Matsuki (1867-1940), Boston, to 1902 [1]

  From 1902 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Bunkio Matsuki in 1902 [2]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [2]

  Notes:

  [1]

  See Original Pottery List, L. 1185, 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

  Tea Ceramics after Koetsu (June 27, 2015 to January 3, 2016)

  Bold and Beautiful: Rinpa in Japanese Art (June 28, 2015 to January 3, 2016)

• Previous custodian or owner

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

  Tsuchihashi collection, Takagamine

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Kyoto, Kyoto prefecture, Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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  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, Tsuchihashi collection

• Place

  Kyoto, Japan, Kyoto prefecture

• Topic

  Tea, Art, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Pottery, Poetry, Meiji era (1868 - 1912), Raku ware

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)