Yaozhou ware bowl

Object Details

• Description

  Bowl with small foot and slightly flaring rim.

  Clay: grayish-brown stoneware.

  Glaze: transparent, grayish-green, bubbly.

  Decoration: moulded, fish among waves inside.

• Label

  The olive green color of this Yaozhou bowl results in part from its having been fired in a dome-shaped kiln using coal, the common fuel in north China where firewood was scarce. The translucent blue-green of the nearby Longquan ware bottle was achieved using wood in a long, multichambered "dragon" kiln that stretched tunnel-like up a gentle hill. The different colors of the underlying clay bodies of Longquan and Yaozhou wares also affect the final color of their glazes.

• Provenance

  From at least 1954 or 1955 to 1961

  C. T. Loo & Company, New York, from at least 1954 or 1955 [1]

  From 1961

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from C. T. Loo & Company on May 3, 1961 [2]

  Notes:

  [1] See A. G. Wenley's letter to Frank Caro, dated April 25, 1961, in which he lists the dish among the objects left with the Freer Gallery by Caro for consideration of purchase in 1954 and 1955, copy in object file.

  [2] See C. T. Loo's & Co.'s invoice, dated May 3, 1961, copy in object file.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

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

  On the River (April 01, 1995 to January 23, 1996)

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

• Previous custodian or owner

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

• Origin

  Shaanxi 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

  1100s, 1200s

• Name

  C.T. Loo & Company

• Place

  Shaanxi province, China

• Topic

  Jin dynasty (1115 - 1234), Art, Green glaze, Chinese Art, Fishes, Ceramics, Yaozhou ware

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)