Bowl with plain straight rim

Object Details

• Description

  Clay: fine white porcelain.

  Glaze: plain, transparent.

  Decoration: in underglaze blue; cash diaper band at rim, 9 dragons amid waves outside; one dragon in waves inside.

  (Pair w ith F1953.5).

• Provenance

  ?-1945

  Probably Jacob E. Melchior (d.1945), method of acquisition unknown [1]

  By 1945--1953

  Edward T. Chow (1910-1980), probably purchased from Jacob E. Melchior [2]

  From 1953

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from E. T. Chow through Mathias Komor, New York [3]

  Notes:

  [1] Chow was an avid collector of blue and white Ming porcelain, and it is likely Chow purchased this object from J. E. Melchior's collection. See H. W. Seigel and, Helen D. Ling, "Early Chinese Potteries and Porcelains of the Shang, Chou, Chin, Han Dynasties: Collection of the Late J. E. Melchior," [Collection catalogue] (Shanghai: H.W. Seigel and H.D. Ling, 1945), Introduction. When he began collecting, Jacob Emil Melchior pursued examples of Ming porcelain. After Melchior's death in 1945, E. T. Chow, Helen D. Ling, and Hans W. Seigel each purchased part of his collection. Chow's inventory number, 80, written in Chinese, can be seen on the box. See note 2.

  [2] See inventory list in Box 7, Folder 5, titled "E.T.C. Ming Dynasty Kingtehchen Porcelain" from the Helen D. Ling Papers, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. This bowl, and its pair, are listed as "C76 Hung Chih Pair of Bowls" on the inventory of objects shown in Komor's New York Gallery compiled by Ling, with C76 being the Chow sale number. In 1950, Chow, Ling, and Komor collaborated on an exhibition of Chow's Ming porcelain at Komor's New York Gallery. The bowl was part of this exhibition and displayed from 1950 to 1953. The Freer Gallery of Art purchased it during the exhibition. See note 3.

  [3] See Mathias Komor receipt to Freer Gallery of Art, January 15, 1953, and marked approved on January 19, 1953, by A. G. Wenley, copy in object file. See also note 2.

  Research updated April 19, 2023

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

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

  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, Chinese Art, 1953 (May 26, 1953 to September 15, 1953)

  Stone Sculpture, Buddhist Bronze, and Chinese Painting (May 2, 1923 to February 25, 1956)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Mathias Komor (1909-1984)

  Edward T. Chow (1910-1980)

  Jacob E. Melchior (1879-1945)

• Origin

  Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1500s, 1400s

• Name

  Chow, Edward T., Melchior, J. E., Komor, Mathias

• Place

  China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen

• Topic

  Porcelain, Art, Chinese Art, Ceramics, Jingdezhen ware, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), Dragon

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)