Box with inlaid design of paired cranes and clouds

Detail of a pattern
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At A Glance

  • Period

    first half of 13th century
  • Geography

    Gangjin or Buan kilns, Jeolla-do province, Korea
  • Material

    Stoneware with white and black inlays under celadon glaze
  • Dimension

    H x W: 2.1 x 3.6 cm (13/16 x 1 7/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1917.292a-b
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1917.292a-b

Object Details

  • Description

    Box, small cylindrical, with cover of equal size with the box proper.
    Clay: hard, grayish.
    Glaze: pale greenish-gray celadon, with faint lilac tints.
    Decoration: inlaid in white and black under glaze: medallion of two flying cranes surrounded by geometric borders.
  • Provenance

    To 1917
    Yamanaka & Company, New York to 1917 [1]
    From 1917 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company, New York in 1917 [2]
    From 1920
    The Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] Undated folder sheet note. See Original Pottery List, L. 2551, 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

    Cranes and Clouds: The Korean Art of Ceramic Inlay (November 5, 2011 to January 3, 2016)
    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)
    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)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965) (C.L. Freer source)
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
  • Origin

    Gangjin or Buan kilns, Jeolla-do province, Korea
  • Credit Line

    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
  • Type

    Container
  • Restrictions and Rights

    Usage Conditions Apply

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