Ewer with inlaid designs of peony and chrysanthemum

Detail of a pattern
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At A Glance

  • Period

    late 12th-mid 13th century
  • Geography

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

    Stoneware with white and black inlays under celadon glaze
  • Dimension

    H x W x D (overall): 20.5 x 21.9 x 14.7 cm (8 1/16 x 8 5/8 x 5 13/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1909.33a-b
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1909.33a-b

Object Details

  • Description

    Ewer: ovoid melon-form; lotus-form cover with loop-handle (restored). Six spur marks.
    Clay: hard, gray, porcellanous.
    Glaze: smooth greenish-gray of bluish tone.
    Decoration: inlaid in white and black under glaze and carved under glaze: alternating sprays of blossoming lotus and chrysanthemum; cloud-lappet band at neck, overlapping lotus petals around base.
    Spurs: six sandy clay spur marks around unglazed ring on base.
  • Provenance

    To 1909
    Yamanaka & Company, New York to 1909 [1]
    From 1909 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company, New York in 1909 [2]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] Undated folder sheet note. Also see Original Pottery List, L. 1922, 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

    Cranes and Clouds: The Korean Art of Ceramic Inlay (November 5, 2011 to January 3, 2016)
    An Invitation to Tea (November 9, 1996 to April 26, 1998)
    Korean Art (December 17, 1984 to June 23, 1986)
    Korean Art (June 4, 1982 to September 23, 1982)
    Korean Art (March 20, 1982 to 2 April 1984)
    Korean Art (July 15, 1981 to September 15, 1981)
    Korean Art (March 20, 1980 to March 3, 1981)
    Korean Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to October 13, 1978)
    Korean Art (November 2, 1959 to November 22, 1971)
    Untitled Exhibition, Korean Art, 1958 (July 10, 1958 to April 15, 1959)
    Centennial Exhibition, Gallery 16 (February 25, 1956 to July 11, 1958)
    Untitled Exhibition, Korean Ceramics with Korean and Japanese Paintings (February 15, 1955 to April 13, 1955)
    Untitled Exhibition, East Asian Ceramics and Paintings, East Corridor (January 8, 1947 to ---)
    Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1946 (May 6, 1946 to November 17, 1955)
    Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Metalwork, Pottery, and Painting (March 23, 1944 to May 2, 1946)
    Untitled Exhibition, Chinese and Korean Ceramics (March 22, 1943 to November 13, 1944)
    Japanese and Korean Pottery, and Korean Bronze (May 2, 1923 to March 22, 1943)
    Early Chinese Pottery and Scultpure, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1916 (March 6 to October 15, 1916)
    Untitled Exhibition, The Japan Society, February 1914 (February 1914)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965) (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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