Bowl with molded decoration

Detail of a pattern
Image 1 of 3
Download Image IIIF

Terms of Use

Usage Conditions Apply

At A Glance

  • Period

    15th century
  • Geography

    Hanoi or Red River Delta kilns, Hai Duong province, Vietnam
  • Material

    Porcelain with clear, slightly grayish glaze; metal rim
  • Dimension

    H x W: 5.3 x 10.4 cm (2 1/16 x 4 1/8 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1929.82
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1929.82

Object Details

  • Description

    Bowl: spreading ovoidal; thin basal ring; copper rim.
    Clay: very thin, with translucent areas; grayish-white; sonant. Translucent white porcelain.
    Glaze: transparent, colorless.
    Decoration: molded in paste, under glaze. On interior: band of four phoenixes in clouds, six-petalled flowerhead in center bottom.
  • Label

    Similar translucent bowls, bearing molded designs of dragons or phoenixes (both imperial emblems), have been excavated from the fifteenth-century layer of the Ba Dinh site in central Hanoi.
  • Provenance

    ?-1929
    Yamanaka and Co., New York, method of acquisition unknown [1]
    From 1929
    Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Yamanaka and Co., New York [2]
    Notes:
    [1] See Yamanaka and Co., New York invoice to Freer Gallery of Art, June 30, 1929, and marked approved on August 3, 1929, by J. E. Lodge, copy in object file.
    [2] See note 1.
    Research updated April 18, 2023
  • Collection

    Freer Gallery of Art Collection
  • Exhibition History

    Vietnam's Ceramics: Depth and Diversity (July 11, 2015 - July 10, 2016)
    Vietnamese Ceramics from the Red River Delta (July 10, 2005 to November 15, 2009)
    Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)
    Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Ceramics (March 7, 1957 to January 1, 1963)
    Centennial Exhibition, Gallery 13 (November 10, 1955 to March 1, 1957)
    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

    Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965)
  • Origin

    Hanoi or Red River Delta kilns, Hai Duong province, Vietnam
  • Credit Line

    Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
  • 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