Pillow

Object Details

• Description

  Ceramic pillow in the form of a mountain consisting of four peaks and three depressions, symmetrically arranged. Hollow. Perforation through middle depression. Cracked and chipped in places.

  Clay: grayish white stoneware.

  Glaze: thin, finely crazed colorless glaze.

  Decoration: On the front, peonies and foliage; on the back, diaper pattern enclosed in two large circles, with spaces filled with foliage and palmettes. Floral scroll in rectangular area on base. The design, in very low relief in white on an ochre ground, is executed in two layers of slip under the glaze. Details incised.

  Bears inscription.

• Inscriptions

  Inscription, perfunctorily incised on the four peaks, reads from left to right. "Chia-yu pa nien ch'i yueh nien-liu jih" (^c^), corresponding to A.D. 1063 (Chia-yu era 8th year 7th month 26th day).

• Label

  This ceramic pillow is rare because it bears an incised date on the scalloped edge, which reads, "Twenty-six day, seventh lunar month, eighth year of Jiayou era [corresponding to the year 1063]." The pillow features a different pattern on each face.

• Provenance

  To 1970

  Eugene Meyer (1875-1959) and Agnes E. Meyer (1887-1970), Washington, DC, and Mt. Kisco, NY [1]

  From 1970 to 1974

  Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, New York

  From 1974

  Freer Gallery of Art, bequeathed by Agnes E. Meyer [2]

  Notes:

  [1] The object was part of the Estate of Agnes E. Meyer.

  [2] The object was transferred to the Freer Gallery on January 9, 1973. In 1974 it was confirmed that the transfer of this object to the Freer Gallery from the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation had been approved by the foundation’s Board of Directors on December 14, 1972 and the object was accessioned into the collection.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Black and White: Chinese Ceramics from the 10th-14th Centuries (December 18, 2004 to November 7, 2010)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer ((1875-1959) and (1887-1970))

• Origin

  Probably southern Shaanxi province, China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer

• Type

  Furniture and Furnishing

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1000s

• Name

  Meyer, Eugene and Agnes E.

• Place

  southern Shaanxi province, China

• Topic

  Art, Cizhou ware, Stoneware, Chinese Art, Ceramics, Flowers, Northern Song dynasty (960 - 1127)

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Furniture, Furnishings