Square brush washer

Object Details

• Artist

  spurious seal of Chen Mingyuan (active late 17th-early 18th century)

• Description

  Square brush washer of brown-black unglazed Yixing clay; two loose ring handles and two bands of decoration in countersunk relief. Inscription of eleven characters and one seal. Rosewood stand.

• Marks

  One seal

• Inscriptions

  Inscription of eleven characters

• Provenance

  To 1939

  Tonying and Company

  From 1939

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Tonying and Company in 1939

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Ch'ing Dynasty Calligraphy and Painting (August 30, 1985 to January 26, 1986)

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

  Ming Dynasty Paintings (December 4, 1978 to June 14, 1979)

  Special Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1946 (August 7, 1946 to January 7, 1947)

  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

  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

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1800s, 1930s

• Name

  Tonying and Company

• Place

  Jiangsu province, Yixing, China

• Topic

  Art, Kangxi reign (1662 - 1722), Stoneware, Chinese Art, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), Ceramics, Yixing ware

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)