Jar

Object Details

• Description

  Jar: large inverted pear-shape; thick basal ring; deposits of kiln grit. Repair on rim.

  Clay: hard, dense, gray. Porcelain.

  Glaze: bluish and greenish-white, with six pale pink spots under foot and with areas of discoloration and of incipient decay; variable iridescence; crackled.

• Label

  Porcelain clay is difficult to shape on the potter's wheel, and large storage jars like this tend to be somewhat irregular in form. The jar was made in two sections thrown separately then joined below the shoulder. The clay was stained from the inside in the course of the jar's use for storage of soy-based sauces or other foodstuffs.

• Provenance

  To 1909

  Yamanaka & Company, New York to 1909 [1]

  From 1909 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company 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. 1926, 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

  Korean Ceramics (February 4, 1997 to August 7, 2011)

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

  Untitled Exhibition, East Asian Ceramics and Paintings, East Corridor (January 8, 1947 to ---)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Korea

• 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

  1800s, 1700s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Yamanaka and Co.

• Place

  Korea

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Porcelain, Art, Joseon period (1392 - 1910), Clear glaze, Korean Art, Iridescence, Ceramics

• Culture

  Koreans

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)