Yixing ware teapot with false mark of Gong Chun

Object Details

• Artist

  False seal of Gong Chun (active ca. 1506-1521)

• Description

  Teapot with cover.

  Body: dark reddish brown clay, fired hard.

  Glaze: none.

  Decoration: plum branches with blossoms, bamboo leaves and wasps in relief on upper half of pot and on cover.

  Inscription of two characters incised in clay on base: Gong Chun.

• Marks

  Inscription of two characters incised in clay on base: Gong Chun.

• Provenance

  By at least 1915-1939

  Pang Yuanji (1864-1949), method of acquisition unknown [1]

  1939

  Tonying and Company 通運公司, New York, as agent for Pang Yuanji [2]

  From 1939

  National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, purchased from Tonying and Company, New York [3]

  Notes:

  [1] See Pang Yuanji [Yuan-chi P’ang] “Xu zhai ming tao tu lu” (Catalog of Chinese Pottery in the Collection of Pang Yuanji) [catalog] (Taipei: Published by Author, 191?), vol. 1 and vol. 2. For volume 1, F1939.61a-b through F1939.69a-b are published on the following pages in ascending order, respectively: pages 3, 7, 9, 11, 13, 21, 25, 27, and 37. For volume 2, F1939.71a-b through F1939.77 are published on the following pages in ascending order, respectively: pages 9, 11, 35, 37, 63, 69, and 73.

  Pang Yuanji (1864-1949) was a prominent, late-Qing collector, connoisseur, and philanthropist, whose collecting activities in the early-twentieth century influenced Western appreciation for Chinese art. Born into a wealthy family of silk merchants, Pang meticulously catalogued his large collection of paintings and ceramics in publications known as Xu Zhai, which American collectors, including Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919) used as catalogues to purchase works from his collection. Pang utilized a network of family dealers to manage most of his sales, and Tonying and Company, founded by Pang’s nephew Zhang Jingjiang (1877-1950), was foremost amongst the group. Following Pang’s death, his collection was largely assumed into the national collections of China.

  [2] See object file for copy of J.E. Lodge letter to C.F. Yau (dates?), of Tonying and Company, dated November 18, 1939. In closing, Lodge notes that, “Let me add that in pursuance of our conversation I have added three small cups, NN 1, NN 4, and NN 7, to the I-hsing [NB: Yixing ware] I had already selected from Mr. Pang’s collection. I trust that this small addition will meet with his approval.” Presumably these cups are F1939.75, F1939.76, and F1939.77, although it is uncertain which of Pang’s catalog numbers relate to the Museum’s accession numbers. See also notes 1 and 3.

  Zhang Renjie 張人傑 (1877–1950), known also as Zhang Jingjiang 張靜江, opened Tonying and Company (Tongyun Gongsi 通運公司) shortly after he arrived in Paris as an attaché on the staff of Sun Baoqi, the Qing government’s Minister to France. Tonying and Company became a family business first based in Paris at 26 Place St. Georges and then branching out to New York City (665 Fifth Avenue in 1925 and 5 East 57th Street in 1946). In addition to selling art directly to clients, Tonying supplied a number of British dealers, including John Sparks and Bluetts. Zhang used his governmental position in China to acquire high-quality works of art directly from the old Imperial Collection. (His friend Li Shizeng served as chairman of the newly created Palace Museum in 1925 and was responsible for the inventory of the Imperial Collections.) Zhang also oversaw the initial removal of more than half of the Imperial Collections to Shanghai in 1933 following the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. Many imperial works found their way into Western collections through Zhang and other dealers during this time. A great deal of Zhang’s wealth, and therefore the financing of the Nationalist cause, came from profits realized by Tonying.

  Zhang’s business brought him into contact with several Chinese revolutionaries, including Sun Yat-sen(dates), whose activities Zhang funded using Tonying profits. From then on Zhang supported the Guomindang, becoming one of its “Four Elder Statesmen” following Sun’s death in 1925. The next year Zhang masterminded Chiang Kai-shek’s rise to power. In 1928 he became chairman of the National Reconstruction Commission, which was established by the Nationalist Government, and later governor of Zhejiang province, a post he held until January 1930. Zhang left China for good in 1938 after the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war. He traveled first to Europe and, because of World War II, on to New York City, where he died in 1950.

  Yau “C.F. Yau” Chang Foo (1884-1963), also known as Yao Shulai, was a dealer of Asian art who managed the New York City branch of Tonying and Company, which opened in 1914. C. F. Yau was the younger brother to Yao Hui (1879-1918), wife of Zhang.

  [3] See object files for copy of Tonying and Company, Inc. invoice to the Freer Gallery of Art, dated December 1, 1939, and approved by the Secretary of the Smithsonian November 22, 1939. The objects are a part of the Museum’s Freer Gallery of Art collection.

  Research updated December 10, 2024

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

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

  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)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Pang Yuanji 龐元濟 (1864-1949)

  Tonying and Company 通運公司 (established 1902)

• Origin

  Yixing, Jiangsu 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.

  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

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1800s, 1930s

• Name

  Tonying and Company, Pang, Yuanji

• Place

  Jiangsu province, Yixing, China

• Topic

  Tea, Art, Stoneware, Chinese Art, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), Ceramics, Yixing ware

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)