Water jar in style of Nonomura Ninsei

Object Details

• Artist

  Style of Nonomura Ninsei (active ca. 1646-77)

• Description

  Tea-ceremony water jar (mizusashi 水指).

  Fluted edge. Black lacquer cover, with a red character on under side.

  Clay: hard, buff, orange where exposed.

  Glaze: gray-white, clouded with pinkish gray; crackled. Opaque white rice-straw ash glaze on outside; same glaze and clear ash glaze on interior.

  Decoration: in blue, green, red, and gold enamels, over glaze.

  Mark: Ninsei 仁清, large, without frame, stamped on base to left.

• Signatures

  False signature of Ninsei

• Marks

  Ninsei 仁清, large, without frame, stamped on base to left.

  Ninsei 仁清, large, without frame, stamped on base to left.

• Provenance

  To 1914

  William Baumgarten and Company, New York to 1914 [1]

  From 1914 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from William Baumgarten and Company in 1914 [2]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] Undated folder sheet note. See Original Pottery List, L. 2384, 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

  An Invitation to Tea (November 9, 1996 to April 26, 1998)

• Previous custodian or owner

  William Baumgarten and Company (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Kyoto prefecture, Japan

• 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.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1900s, 1890s

• Name

  Baumgarten, Freer, Charles Lang

• Place

  Japan, Kyoto prefecture

• Topic

  Wave, Tea, Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Stoneware, Kyoto ware, Japanese Art, Lacquer, Ceramics, Meiji era (1868 - 1912)

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)