Bottle with carved and incised design of two phoenixes and peony vinescrolls

Object Details

• Description

  Vase: maebyong with bulbous shoulder, short neck and cup-lip.

  Clay: hard, gray.

  Glaze: gray-green with faint bluish tinge. Interior unglazed.

  Decoration: carved in the paste under glaze: two phoenixes amid peony vinescrolls.

• Label

  This bottle, probably made for use in the royal court, is embellished with the motif of phoenixes among peony scrolls, which signifies peace and prosperity. Masterful carving of the design caused the glaze to pool in the deeper cuts. Where the glaze is thick, it appears darker, outlining the motifs and emphasizing the incised details.

• Provenance

  To 1912

  Yamanaka & Company, New York to 1912 [1]

  From 1912 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company, New York in 1912 [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. 2361, Freer Galley 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

  Rediscovering Korea’s Past (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  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)

  Chinese and Korean Ceramics (July 11, 1986 to March 13, 1987)

  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 (June 24, 1977 to April 8, 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 ---)

  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 kilns, Jeollanam-do province, Korea

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Vessel

• On View

  Freer Gallery 14: Rediscovering Korea's Past

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1100s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Yamanaka and Co.

• Place

  Gangjin kilns, Jeollanam-do province, Korea

• Topic

  Goryeo period (918 - 1392), Wine and wine making, Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Peony, Green glaze, Stoneware, Korean Art, Phoenix, Ceramics

• Culture

  Koreans

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)

• On View

  Yes