Water jar with "Dutch" design

Detail of a pattern
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At A Glance

  • Period

    mid 18th century
  • Geography

    Kyoto, Kyoto prefecture, Japan
  • Material

    Buff clay with white slip, iron pigment, and enamels under transparent lead glaze
  • Dimension

    H x W: 7.2 x 28.2 cm (2 13/16 x 11 1/8 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1911.407
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1911.407

Object Details

  • Artist

    Ogata Ihachi (Kyoto Kenzan II) (active 1720-1760)
  • Description

    Bowl (hachi); shallow, cylindrical. Gold lacquer repairs.
    Clay: earthenware; soft, resonant, buff-gray.
    Glaze: transparent lead glaze.
    Decoration: in green and blue, purplish-brown, and yellow underglaze enamels.
  • Signatures

    "Kenzan" [Jpn] with "ji" [Jpn] cipher.
  • Label

    The shape of the piece has a distant referent in Chinese three-color basins ban said to be made in the Fujian region from as early as the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368); pieces have been excavated in Kamakura and also passed down in temples. The domestic deployment would be in the tearoom, as a hira-mizusashi, a water jar used in summer tea ceremonies. The piece would have been fitted with a black lacquer lid.
  • Provenance

    1911
    Y. Fujita and Company, Kyoto 1911 [1]
    From 1911 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Y. Fujita and Company, Kyoto in 1911 [2]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 2194, 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

    The Potter's Brush: The Kenzan Style in Japanese Ceramics (December 9, 2001 to October 27, 2002)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Y. Fujita and Company (C.L. Freer source)
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
  • Origin

    Kyoto, Kyoto prefecture, Japan
  • Credit Line

    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
  • Type

    Vessel
  • Restrictions and Rights

    Usage Conditions Apply

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