Vase

Object Details

• Description

  Inverted pyriform-shape (pear-shaped) vase with violet ground and light blue mottled texture. Narrow mouth, flared lip and thin rim with trumpet-shaped neck and high, gently sloping shoulders. Body tapers into tall stem resting on flat slightly rounded foot trimmed to create footring.

  Clay: Porcelain, footrim slightly darkened on surface by use.

  Glaze: Lip brushed with pink pigment and rim colored grey. A narrow band between the footring and the foot reveals the white of the porcelain underneath the glaze. Light blue mottling covers exterior surface of the violet-toned glaze and, in several areas, glaze has a pitted, "orange peel" texture, the result of minute bubbles in the glaze which burst at high temperatures during firing. Colorless glaze applied to the interior. Unglazed footrim.

  Decoration: Purple glaze with minute splotches of bluish-purple appearing over the surface. The pink of the lip and the white of the interior contrast with the darker body.

  Mark: in cobalt, "Dainippon." Paper label: "CMK 20"

• Inscriptions

  Cobalt mark "Dainippon"

• 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.

  Also see Curatorial Remark 2 in the object record.

  [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

  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.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1900s, 1890s

• Name

  Kurtz, Isabel S., Kurtz, Charles M.

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Porcelain, Art, Japanese Art, Ceramics, Meiji era (1868 - 1912)

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)