Satsuma ware sake bottle, Ryumonji kiln

Object Details

• Description

  Sake bottle with high shoulders and long neck.

  Clay: hard, fine. Medium brown on surface.

  Glaze: brilliant greenish-black and copper brown; overflow of black, flecked with copper. Iridescent. Ash glaze poured over iron glaze.

  Seal: oval seal impressed in center of base.

• Provenance

  To 1902

  Samuel Colman (1832-1920), New York, NY, and Newport, RI, to 1902 [1]

  From 1902 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased at the sale of the Samuel Colman Collection, American Art Association, New York, March 19-22, 1902 [2]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1131, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Samuel Colman was collecting Asian objects by at least 1880 (see Curatorial Remark 8, Louise Cort, April 20, 2007, in the object record).

  [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

  Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 1 and 2 (February 25, 1956 to January 1, 1963)

  Untitled Exhibition, Japanese Art, 1955 (October 25, 1955 to November 22, 1955)

  Untitled Exhibition, Japanese Art, 1951 (January 23, 1951 to February 25, 1956)

  Untitled Exhibition, Japanese Hanging Scrolls, Ceramics, and Sculpture (October 2, 1947 to January 23, 1951)

  Untitled Exhibition, Japanese Ceramics and Painting (May 2, 1946 to October 2, 1947)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Samuel Colman (1832-1920)

  American Art Association (established 1883) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Ryumonji kilns, Kajiki, Kagoshima 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

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1900s, 1860s

• Name

  American Art Association, Freer, Charles Lang, Colman, Samuel

• Place

  Ryumonji kilns, Japan, Kajiki, Kagoshima prefecture

• Topic

  Wine and wine making, Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Ryumonji ware, Stoneware, Japanese Art, Iridescence, Ceramics, Meiji era (1868 - 1912), Sake

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)