Kutani ware bottle with design of asters, chrysanthemums, peonies, wisteria and quail

Object Details

• Description

  Bottle with trumpet-shaped mouth, bulbous body, and trimmed foot, decorated with design of asters, chrysanthemums, peonies, wisteria and quail.

  Clay: Porcelain; footrim darkened on surface by use.

  Glaze: Over colorless glaze, red and gold enamels applied to neck and rim and purple, brown, gold, red and black enamels applied to body. Factory mark in red overglaze enamel on base. Unglazed footrim.

  Decoration: A gold cloud pattern against a red enamel ground decorates the lip and neck. The rim is outlined in gold enamel. The red on the neck and around the bottom of the bottle just above the base serve as a framework for the body decoration which features asters, chrysanthemums, peonies and wisteria. Two standing and two flying quail, their brown bodies highlighted with gold and black pigments, are placed in the middle of the flora. The white band at the base of the vase suggests a footring.

  Mark: Kutani, in red enamel on base.

• Inscriptions

  "Kutani" mark in red overglaze enamel.

• Provenance

  To ?

  Charles M. Kurtz (1855-1909). [1]

  To 1991

  Isabel S. Kurtz (1901-1991). [2]

  From 1991

  Freer Gallery of Art, bequest of Isabel S. Kurtz (1901-1991). [3]

  Notes:

  [1] Ms. Isabel Kurtz bequeathed the group of Asian ceramics, F1991.19-.44, to the Freer Gallery of Art.

  These objects had been collected by her father, Charles M. Kurtz, who was a friend of Charles Freer.

  [2] See note 1. Also see Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920 file, Collections Management Office.

  [3] See note 2.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Japanese Art of the Meiji Era (September 20, 1997 to April 26, 1998)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Charles M. Kurtz (1855-1909)

  Isabel S. Kurtz (1901-1991)

• Origin

  Kanazawa, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan

• Credit Line

  Bequest of Isabel S. Kurtz

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1900s, 1870s

• Name

  Kurtz, Isabel S., Kurtz, Charles M.

• Place

  Kanazawa, Japan, Ishikawa prefecture

• Topic

  Kutani ware, Porcelain, Art, Chrysanthemum, Aster, Cloud, Japanese Art, Ceramics, Wisteria, Meiji era (1868 - 1912)

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)