Mino ware tea bowl with design of gate and seedling pines

Detail of a pattern
Image 1 of 2
IIIF

Terms of Use

Usage Conditions Apply

At A Glance

  • Period

    1594-1607
  • Geography

    Motoyashiki Higashi kilns, Toki city, Gifu prefecture, Japan
  • Material

    Stoneware with iron pigment poured and painted under feldspathic glaze; gold lacquer repairs
  • Dimension

    H x Diam: 9 x 14.5 cm (3 9/16 x 5 11/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1902.234
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1902.234

Object Details

  • Description

    Buff clay. Hand-carved foot. Decoration of X-shaped gate and pine seedlings painted with underglaze iron slip; irregular poured shaped of iron slip. Thin feldspathic glaze applied by uneven ladling over walls and base, with portions of decorated surface left unglazed. Gold lacquer repairs.
  • 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. 1206, 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
  • Exhibition History

    Imperfectly Beautiful: Inventing Japanese Ceramic Style (October 14, 2017 - October 14, 2019)
    The Arts of Japan (July 14, 2012 to January 13, 2013)
    Seasons: Arts of Japan (February 5, 2011 to January 13, 2013)
    Tea Bowls in Bloom: Botanical Decoration on Tea Ceremony Ceramics (February 3 to July 15, 2007)
    Freer: A Taste for Japanese Art (July 1, 2006 to January 1, 2007)
    Isamu Noguchi and Modern Japanese Ceramics (May 3 to September 7, 2003)
    Japanese Ceramics from Seto and Mino (January 19, 1996 to August 5, 2001)
    Japanese Art (May 9, 1993 to November 21, 1995)
    Japanese Art (November 7, 1986 to July 19, 1988)
    The Glazed Ceramic Tradition of Mino and Seto Wares (April 26, 1985 to January 13, 1986)
    Japanese Ceramics (June 22, 1982 to September 27, 1982)
    Japanese Ceramics (July 15, 1980 to June 21, 1982)
    Japanese Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to January 17, 1980)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965) (C.L. Freer source)
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
  • Origin

    Motoyashiki Higashi kilns, Toki city, Gifu prefecture, Japan
  • Credit Line

    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
  • Type

    Vessel
  • Restrictions and Rights

    Usage Conditions Apply

    There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

    The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring