Cizhou ware bottle

Object Details

• Description

  Vase: tall with ovoidal body, small neck and flaring lip; deep foot.

  Clay: buff, sandy, fired hard.

  Glaze: transparent green with fine crackle, large areas of iridescence and decomposition.

  Decoration: heavy white slip, cut away in peony pattern, incised lines. Raw slip may be seen under unglazed foot.

• Provenance

  To 1917

  Tonying and Company, New York to 1917 [1]

  From 1917 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Tonying and Company, New York in 1917 [2]

  From 1920

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

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 2516, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. By at least 1917, Tonying and Company maintained business locations in Shanghai, Beijing, Paris, London, and New York, NY.

  [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

  Parades: Freer Ceramics Installed by Gwyn Hanssen Pigott (November 4, 2006 to January 7, 2008)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Art, West Corridor, 1947 (January 8, 1947 to February 10, 1947)

  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)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Painting and Ceramics, 1943 (March 22, 1943 to November 13, 1944)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Painting and Ceramics (March 14, 1931 to March 22, 1943)

  Chinese Painting and Pottery (May 2, 1923 to March 22, 1943)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Tonying and Company 通運公司 (established 1902)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Guantai kilns, Hebei province, China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1100s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Tonying and Company

• Place

  Guantai kilns, China, Hebei province

• Topic

  Jin dynasty (1115 - 1234), Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Peony, Cizhou ware, Stoneware, Chinese Art, Iridescence, Ceramics, Northern Song dynasty (960 - 1127)

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)