Ewer

Object Details

• Description

  Ewer of double gourd form; curved spout; grooved curved strap handle with upstanding eyelet; flat base.

  Clay: porcellanous, gray; light buff surface on exposed biscuit.

  Glaze: grayish-olive celadon; transparent, lustrous, rather thin over most of pot; uneven crackle mostly over lower body and spout, random lines elsewhere; small spot of glaze missing at base of handle and of spout. Glaze wiped off base.

  No decoration.

• Provenance

  Unknown owners, Seoul [1]

  From 1884-1898 to 1907

  Dr. Horace N. Allen (1858-1932), Toledo, Ohio, purchased from unknown owners, in Seoul, during 1884-1898 [2]

  From 1907 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Dr. Horace N. Allen in 1907 [3]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]

  Notes:

  [1] Horace N. Allen acquired his collection in Seoul between 1884 and 1898. See Horace Allen, Copy of a Certified Catalogue of a Collection of Ancient Korean Pottery:

  purchased and owned by Horace Newton Allen (Nak Tong [Korea]: Seoul Press, 1901), pg. 7.

  [2] Undated folder sheet note. See Original Pottery List, L. 1606, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. See also, Pamphlets S.I. 738 and S.I. 739 for Allen Correspondence, as well as Pamphlet S.I. 740, Original Allen Catalogue, No. 4 (second), pg. 9.

  [3] See note 2.

  [4] 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 Peacock Room Comes to America [2011-2016] (April 9, 2011 to January 4, 2016)

  Korean Art (March 20, 1982 to 2 April 1984)

  Korean Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to October 13, 1978)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Dr. Horace N. Allen (1858-1932) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Gangjin or Buan kilns, Jeolla-do province, Korea

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Vessel

• On View

  Freer Gallery 14: Rediscovering Korea's Past

• 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

  1100s

• Name

  Allen, Horace N., Freer, Charles Lang

• Place

  Gangjin, Jeolla-do province, Buan kilns, Korea

• Topic

  Goryeo period (918 - 1392), Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Green glaze, Stoneware, Korean Art, Ceramics

• Culture

  Koreans

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)

• On View

  Yes