Mallet-shaped vase

Object Details

• Description

  Vase, with two handles in form of fish with dragon head.

  Clay: hard, dense, grayish.

  Glaze: lustrous celadon.

• Label

  The smooth, luminous blue-green glaze of this vase is characteristic of celadon made in Longquan, in south China, during the late thirteenth to early fourteenth century. The handles, molded in the shape of fish with dragon heads, provide the sole decoration. Although the shape is modeled after a bronze vase, the texture of the Longquan glaze is often compared to jade, a prized material in China. Vases like this were made for domestic use and export.

• Provenance

  From at least 1937

  C. T. Loo & Company, New York from at least February 1, 1937 [1]

  From 1937

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from C. T. Loo & Company on May 3, 1937 [2]

  Notes:

  [1] C. T. Loo's Approval Memo, dated February 1, 1937, copy in object file.

  [2] See C. T. Loo's invoice, dated May 3, 1937, copy in object file. See also C. T. Loo's stockcard no. 9317: "One large Lung-Chuan vase with fish handles coated all over with a very fine green glaze. Sung. Wooden stand," C. T. Loo & Frank Caro Archive, Musée Guimet, Paris, copy in object file.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Mind Over Matter: Zen in Medieval Japan (March 5, 2022 - July 24, 2022)

  Imperfectly Beautiful: Inventing Japanese Ceramic Style (October 14, 2017 - October 14, 2019)

  Zen, Tea, and Chinese Art in Medieval Japan (December 13, 2014 to June 14, 2015)

  Shades of Green and Blue: Chinese Celadon Ceramics (July 15, 1997 to September 7, 2004)

  Chinese Ceramics (March 15, 1982 to July 10, 1986)

  Chinese Art (March 9, 1981 to March 12, 1982)

  Chinese Ceramics (May 9, 1980 to March 6, 1981)

  Chinese Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to September 4, 1980)

  Chinese Calligraphy and Ceramics (April 18, 1977 to April 8, 1978)

  Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Ceramics (March 7, 1957 to January 1, 1963)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Ceramics, 1955 (September 19, 1955 to November 10, 1955)

  Centennial Exhibition, Gallery 13 (November 10, 1955 to March 1, 1957)

  Untitled Exhibition, East Asian Ceramics and Paintings, East Corridor (January 8, 1947 to ---)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1946 (May 6, 1946 to November 17, 1955)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Ceramics and Paintings (November 14, 1944 to May 3, 1946)

  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)

• Previous custodian or owner

  C.T. Loo & Company (1914-1948)

• Origin

  Probably Dayao kiln, Longquan, Zhejiang province, China

• 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.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1200s, 1300s

• Name

  C.T. Loo & Company

• Place

  China, Zhejiang province, Dayao kiln, Longquan

• Topic

  Art, Green glaze, Stoneware, Chinese Art, Fishes, Longquan ware, Southern Song dynasty (1127 - 1279), Yuan dynasty (1279 - 1368), Ceramics, Dragon

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)