Ember pot with design of pines

Detail of a pattern
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At A Glance

  • Period

    mid-18th century
  • Geography

    Kyoto, Kyoto prefecture, Japan
  • Material

    Buff clay with white slip, iron and cobalt pigments under transparent glaze
  • Dimension

    H x W: 9.2 x 10.6 cm (3 5/8 x 4 3/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1902.218
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1902.218

Object Details

  • Artist

    Style of Ogata Kenzan (1663-1743)
    Kyoto workshop, Kenzan style
  • Description

    Container for live coals (hiire), square. Repaired with metal clamps.
    Clay: dense, grayish stoneware.
    Glaze: Iridescent pearl-white, tinged with brown; brown crackle. White slip under clear glaze. Four scars (spur marks) in unglazed slip on base.
    Decoration: In metallic browns and gray-green; under glaze. Pine trees.
  • Signatures

    "Kenzan Shinsei"
  • Marks

    Two seals. "Toin" and "Shoko"
  • Inscriptions

    Fourteen-character poem.
  • 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. 1194, 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

    The Potter's Brush: The Kenzan Style in Japanese Ceramics (December 9, 2001 to October 27, 2002)
    James McNeill Whistler at the Freer Gallery of Art—Whistler and the Landscape (May 11, 1984 to February 5, 1985)
    Ceramics by Ogata Kenzan (October 9, 1980 to October 30, 1980)
    Japanese Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to January 17, 1980)
    Japanese Art (October 2, 1975 to October 8, 1976)
    Japanese Paintings Attributed to Iwasa Matabei (July 1, 1974 to October 1, 1975)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Bunkio Matsuki 松木文恭 (1867-1940) (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

    Usage Conditions Apply

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