Incense box in the shape of a mandarin duck

Detail of a pattern
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At A Glance

  • Period

    1831-1882
  • Geography

    Kuwana, Mie prefecture, Japan
  • Material

    Stoneware with turquoise and colorless glazes
  • Dimension

    H x W x D (assembled): 6.8 × 5.2 × 9.5 cm (2 11/16 × 2 1/16 × 3 3/4 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1902.25a-b
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1902.25a-b

Object Details

  • Artist

    Mori Yagozaemon Yusetsu (died 1882)
  • Description

    Incense-box, in shape of Mandarin duck (oshidori kogo)
    Clay: hard, dense, grayish-white. Buff on surface.
    Glaze: outside: luminous, light green-blue, clear, appearing crackled; inside: pinkish/buff, clouded with grayish-white.
    Seal on the base.
  • Marks

    Yusetsu, inside double ring, on base.
  • Provenance

    To 1902
    Y. Fujita Company, Kyoto, to 1902 [1]
    From 1902 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Y. Fujita 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. 1099, 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

    Arts of Japan: Edo Aviary and Poetic License (February 2 to August 4, 2013)
    Japanese Art of the Meiji Era (September 20, 1997 to April 26, 1998)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Y. Fujita and Company (C.L. Freer source)
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
  • Origin

    Kuwana, Mie prefecture, Japan
  • Credit Line

    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
  • Type

    Container
  • Restrictions and Rights

    Usage Conditions Apply

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