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Ritual water sprinkler (kundika or jeongbyeong)

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At A Glance

Period

late 12th - early 13th century
Geography

Buan kilns, Yucheon-ri group, Jeollabuk-do province, Korea
Material

Stoneware with white and black inlays under celadon glaze; bronze repair
Dimension

H x W x D: 31 x 16.1 x 13.8 cm (12 3/16 x 6 5/16 x 5 7/16 in)
Accession Number

F1909.44a-b
EDAN ID

edanmdm:fsg_F1909.44a-b

Object Details

Description

Ritual water ewer or kundika; hinged spout cover; top broken and metal spout substituted.

Clay: hard, dense, grayish.

Glaze: lustrous, waxen greenish-gray celadon; scattered crackle.

Decoration: incised in paste and inlaid in white and black, under glaze; pictorial motif of lotus pond, ducks, willow tree, cranes and clouds.

Spurs: "shadows" of eight clay spurs on footrim.
Label

This vessel, used for drinking water, illustrates the effectiveness of inlay for pictorial decoration on ceramics. Black and white inlays within incised motifs portray a tranquil scene in which a willow tree stands alongside a lotus pond. Similar landscapes appear on bronze ritual sprinklers inlaid with silver wire. This piece was made at the Puan kiln complex in southwestern Korea.
Provenance

To 1909

Yamanaka & Company, 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. 1933, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. The majority of Charles Lang Freer’s purchases from Yamanaka & Company were made at its New York branch. Yamanaka & Company maintained branch offices, at various times, in Boston, Chicago, London, Peking, Shanghai, Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto. During the summer, the company also maintained seasonal locations in Newport, Bar Harbor, and Atlantic City.

[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)

Korean Ceramics of the Koryo Dynasty (May 9, 1993 to August 7, 2011)

Korean Art (May 9, 1993 to January 29, 1997)

Korean Art (December 17, 1984 to June 23, 1986)

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

Korean Art (June 4, 1982 to September 23, 1982)

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 (June 19, 1969 to November 10, 1976)

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)

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

Buan kilns, Yucheon-ri group, Jeollabuk-do province, Korea
Credit Line

Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Type

Vessel
Restrictions and Rights

Usage Conditions Apply

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