Six-sided ember pot with design of blossoming plum

Detail of a pattern
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At A Glance

  • Period

    19th century
  • Geography

    Kyoto, Kyoto prefecture, Japan
  • Material

    Stoneware with white slip and iron pigment under clear glaze
  • Dimension

    H x W: 10.1 x 12.1 cm (4 x 4 3/4 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1902.232
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1902.232

Object Details

  • Artist

    Kyoto workshop, Kenzan style
    Style of Ogata Kenzan (1663-1743)
    Style of Ogata Korin 尾形光琳 (1658-1716)
  • Description

    Hexagonal container for live coals (hi-ire). Bottom cracked.
    Clay: Dense, grayish stoneware.
    Glaze: White slip under clear glaze.
    Decoration: In iron pigment under glaze. Flowering prunus.
  • Signatures

    Two signatures: on side: "Hokkyo Korin"; on base: "Kenzan"
  • Provenance

    To 1902
    Bunshichi Kobayashi (circa 1861-1923), Boston, San Francisco, Tokyo, and Yokohama, to 1902 [1]
    From 1902 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Bunshichi Kobayashi in 1902 [2]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1199, 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)
    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)
    Japanese Ceramics (June 22, 1982 to September 27, 1982)
    Japanese Ceramics/Puppets (June 16, 1980 to July 14, 1980)
    Japanese Ceramics (July 15, 1980 to June 21, 1982)
    Japanese Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to January 17, 1980)
    Birds and Flowers of the Four Seasons in Japanese Art (September 14, 1977 to April 8, 1978)
    Special Exhibition—Japanese Art (October 16, 1963 to August 18, 1967)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Kobayashi Bunshichi 小林文七 (ca. 1861-1923) (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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