Ewer in the shape of a bronze ho

Object Details

• Description

  Ewer in the shape of a bronze ho.

  Wheel-thrown body of squat spherical form. Small mouth with short upright rim (broken in one place, piece missing). Flat base trimmed concentrically; short straight crack in center. Trimming on lower wall up to shoulder, ending at same place as upper edge of decorative bands (see below).

  Animal-head spout, molded and applied over opening roughly cut into body. On opposite side of vessel, on a level with spout, hand-formedd and applied vertical lug with circular hole and impressed detail on edge. Bail handle, molded and applied with ends on shoulder above spout and lug; two upright flanges with impressed fluting; outside flange at end near spout, two small conical clay pieces hand-formed and applied side by side; on opposite end outside flange near lug, hand-formed and applied vertical ridge of clay ending in a spiral with impressed fluting.

  Three molded animal feet applied to lower edge of body just above base; one aligned with lug, two placed near spout but not equidistant from it.

  Wheel-thrown lid shaped as flat, straight-sided dish. Semi-circular handle applied in center of top of lid.

  Clay: dense, fine stoneware; medium brown, somewhat reddish where exposed on bottoms of feet and underside of lid.

  Glaze: pale yellow-green applied ash glaze originally covering most of vessel, now mostly lost except for areas where coating was heavier on shoulder and top of lid.

  Decoration: vessel decorated between shoulder and mid-point of body. Three narrow incised bands, accentuated by trimming, with irregular diagonal hatching (in one place, cross-hatching) define two broad bands of equal width filled by three tiers each of stamped "S"-shaped spiral whorls. The lid has a circle incised around the handle; the entire top surface is filled by irregular concentric rows of stamped "S" shapes.

• Provenance

  To 1949

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

  From 1949 to 1985

  James G. Ling, by gift from his mother, Helen D. Ling in 1949. [2]

  From 1985

  Freer Gallery of Art, given by James G. and Ann S. Ling, Potomac, Maryland. [3]

  Notes:

  [1] Helen Dalling Ling, a collector who 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.

  [2] James G. Ling received this object from his mother, Helen D. Ling in 1949.

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

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Clay and Metal: Ancient Chinese Ceramics and Metal (February 25, 1997 to August 9, 2011)

  Chinese Ceramics: Glazed Ceramics of the Tenth through Thirteenth Century (March 9, 1987 to July 19, 1988)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Helen D. Ling (1901-1982)

  James G. Ling

  Dr. and Mrs. James G. and Ann S. Ling

• Origin

  Zhejiang province, China

• Credit Line

  Gift of James G. and Ann S. Ling

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 0s

• Name

  Ling, James G. and Ann S., Ling, Helen D., Ling, James G

• Place

  China, Zhejiang province

• Topic

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

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)