Yue ware ewer

Object Details

• Description

  Ewer, wheel-thrown with flaring mouth, handle formed as a double roll, straight-sided foot trimmed shallow inside; rough and chipped on edge of foot-rim, one chip on lip.

  Clay: fine gray stoneware.

  Glaze: celadon; thin, feldspathic, transparent pale olive-green, uneven coverage, a few areas on body and foot very thin and flaky on handle and lip. An uneven and very fine crackle or crazing occurs on well over half the vessel. Those areas are of light yellowish-green putty color, while the non-crazed areas are smooth and gray in appearance. Base unglazed.

  Decoration: none.

• Label

  At numerous ninth- and tenth-century sites in countries as widely separated as Japan and Egypt, Yue ware similar to this ewer has been excavated in the company of the other major trade wares of the day-Chinese porcelain and Changsha ceramics and Persian blue-glazed earthenware.

• Provenance

  To 1974

  Oriental Art, Benjamin J. Stein, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [1]

  From 1974

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Oriental Art, Benjamin J. Stein, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [2]

  Notes:

  [1] Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920, Collections Management Office.

  [2] See note 1.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  The Peacock Room Comes to America [2022] (September 3, 2022 - ongoing)

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

  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)

  A Decade of Discovery: Selected Acquisitions 1970-1980 (November 9, 1979 to May 22, 1980)

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

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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Oriental Art, Benjamin J. Stein

• Origin

  Zhejiang Province, China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• On View

  Freer Gallery 12: The Peacock Room Comes to America

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  800s, 1000s

• Name

  Oriental Art, Benjamin J. Stein

• Place

  China, Zhejiang Province

• Topic

  Yue ware, Art, Five Dynasties period (907 - 960), Green glaze, Stoneware, Chinese Art, Tang dynasty (618 - 907), Ceramics

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)

• On View

  Yes