Basin (i or yi) with two animal-head lugs

Object Details

• Description

  Basin (i or yi) with two animal-head lugs. Wheel-thrown bowl with everted sides opening somewhat irregularly and curving inward below rim. Rim slightly flattened. Spiral throwing-mark on bottom, pronounced horizontal throwing marks on walls. String-cut flat base.Trimming on lower wall. At one place on lower wall, series of seven vertical indentations, parallel to one another but irregularly spaced--possibly scars from careless trimming.

  Clay: dense, fine stoneware; reddish on exposed surfaces; gray on interior, yellow-brown on exterior where originally covered by glaze.

  Glaze: pale yellow-green applied ash glaze, orginally covering interior and most of exterior wall except near base and bottom. Glaze almost entirely lost. Shadow of glaze drips around rim on outside, one long drip running onto base, fingerprints and smudges.

  Decoration: On opposite shoulders just below rim, two hand-modeled animal-head "lug" appliques with "ring handles," the pointed muzzles and curled horns suggestive of ram's heads.

• Provenance

  To ?

  J.E. Melchior collection, Shanghai. [1]

  To 1982

  Helen Dalling Ling (d. 1982), Shanghai and Singapore. [2]

  From 1982 to 1985

  Dr. Tien Gi Ling, Singapore, by bequest from his wife, Helen Dalling Ling on May 1982. [3]

  From 1985

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Dr. Tien Gi Ling, Singapore. [4]

  Notes:

  [1] According to Dr. Tien Gi Ling, Mrs. Helen D. Ling acquired the object from the J.E. Melchior Collection in Shanghai.

  [2] 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 until her death in 1982.

  [3] Helen Dalling Ling left a bequest to her husband, Dr. Tien Gi Ling on May 1982.

  [4] Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920 file, Collections Management Office. According to the Purchase List, the object was brought in by Mr. Tien Ling's son, Dr. James Ling of Bethesda, Maryland.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Previous custodian or owner

  Helen D. Ling (1901-1982)

  Jacob E. Melchior (1879-1945)

  Mr. Tien Gi Ling

• Origin

  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

  BCE 0s

• Name

  Melchior, J. E., Ling, Tien Gi, Ling, Helen D.

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Art, Eastern Zhou dynasty (770 - 221 BCE), Stoneware, Chinese Art, Ceramics

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)