Ewer with cup-shaped lid

Detail of a pattern
Image 1 of 5
Download Image IIIF

Terms of Use

Usage Conditions Apply

At A Glance

  • Period

    late 10th-early 11th century
  • Geography

    Yaozhou kilns, Shaanxi province, China
  • Material

    Stoneware with celadon glaze
  • Dimension

    H x W: 15.1 x 10.2 cm (5 15/16 x 4 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1919.99a-b
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1919.99a-b

Object Details

  • Description

    Ewer, lobed, with twin spouts; inverted cup cover.
    Stoneware: hard, dense, grayish.
    Glaze: fine; crackled Transparent, some areas of creamy-gray semi-opacity. Stops irregularly near and on foot. Foot and base unglazed.
  • Label

    A single coat of thin glaze over a light gray clay body created the pale gray-green color on this ewer. The round belly is segmented to recall a melon, and the spout has two channels said to create an especially attractive flow of liquid. The single coat of glaze is typical of the earliest Yaozhou celadon ware.
  • Provenance

    To 1919
    You Xiaoxi, Shanghai, to 1919 [1]
    1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from You Xiaoxi, Shanghai in 1919 [2]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 2624, 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

    Parades: Freer Ceramics Installed by Gwyn Hanssen Pigott (November 4, 2006 to January 7, 2008)
    Shades of Green and Blue: Chinese Celadon Ceramics (July 15, 1997 to September 7, 2004)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    You Xiaoxi 游篠溪 (late 19th-early 20th century) (C.L. Freer source)
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
  • Origin

    Yaozhou kilns, Shaanxi province, China
  • 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.

    The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring