Cup with incised decoration

Detail of a pattern
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At A Glance

  • Period

    12th century
  • Geography

    Gangjin or Buan kilns, Jeolla-do province, Korea
  • Material

    Stoneware with celadon glaze
  • Dimension

    H x W: 6.9 x 9.5 cm (2 11/16 x 3 3/4 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1907.325
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1907.325

Object Details

  • Description

    Cup, deep ovoidal with heavy foot; three large sandy kiln deposits on foot.
    Clay: hard, sonant.
    Glaze: brilliant, light grayish-green, with an area of brownish-gray discoloration; crackled.
    Decoration: lightly incised in paste under glaze: single line beneath rim, inside; outside, two identical designs, subject-matter unclear (fish in waves?).
  • 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. 1644, 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. 43, pg. 14.
    [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

    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
  • Restrictions and Rights

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