Bottle with lid

Object Details

• Description

  Small bottle with lid. Wheel-thrown vessel with depressed pear-shaped body rising from flat, splayed foot; tapering elongated neck ending in large cupped rim. Lid with jewel-shaped knob sits inside the rim. Heavy for its size.

  Clay: porcelain, chalky white.

  Glaze: transparent, crackled, ivory-toned, greenish where thicker. Ends unevenly above unglazed foot (silhouettes of two fingertips where piece was held to be dipped into glaze). Lid glazed on top and edges, somewhat abraded around knob.

• Provenance

  To 1982

  Helen D. Ling (died 1982), Shanghai and Singapore, to 1982 [1]

  From 1982 to 1984

  Dr. Tien Gi Ling, Singapore, bequeathed by Helen D. Ling in 1982 [2]

  From 1984

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Dr. Tien Gi Ling in 1984 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] Helen Dalling Ling operated The Green Dragon antiques shop in Shanghai from 1938 to 1950, and a shop under her own name in Singapore from 1951 to 1982.

  According to the information supplied by Dr. Ling, this object was in Mrs. Ling's general collection and was probably collected in Singapore (see Curatorial Note 5 in the object record).

  [2] According to Curatorial Note 5 in the object record.

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

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Luxury Arts of the Silk Route Empires (May 9, 1993 to January 28, 2007)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Helen D. Ling (1901-1982)

  Mr. Tien Gi Ling

• Origin

  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

  800s, 700s

• Name

  Ling, Tien Gi, Ling, Helen D.

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Porcelain, Art, Chinese Art, Tang dynasty (618 - 907), Ceramics

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)