Dish

Object Details

• Description

  Finely crackled creamy white glaze on interior and creamy green glaze on exterior running evenly to foot, interior decorated with underglaze iron black floral spray in center (on which are seven pontil spur scars) surrounded by three clouds and a flaming pearl, everted rim and exterior shoulder decorated with calligraphic bands, extremely shallow foot borders bottom with traces of chocolate brown.

  Medium dish with everted rim, rounded lip, wide cavetto, small flat bottom with six spur marks and one blemish scar, on low, wide, beveled unglazed footrim.

  CLAY: greyish-brown stoneware; slightly warped and uneven with bumps.

  GLAZE: transparent, green tonality, with crackling. Brown wash on foot.

  DECORATION: in underglaze iron pigment, grey-brown in color under the glaze and dark brown where the glaze is thin, exposing the iron to the atmosphere. The quickly and sparingly applied decor evokes a sense of continuous movement in infinite space. Inside the central medallion, marked by a circle with overlapped lines, is a floral spray resting on a leafy stem and surrounded by clusters of leaves painted as single brush lines and crowned by a wavy string. Encircling the medallion are a flaming jewel and three trailing clouds with miniature clouds attached to the tails. On the rim is a conventional classic scroll. On the exterior is a calligraphic design. Brown slip is painted on the base.

• Provenance

  To 1994

  John Forbes, Silver Spring, Maryland, acquired in Manila, to 1994 [1]

  From 1994

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from John Forbes in 1994

  Notes:

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

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Vietnamese Ceramics from the Red River Delta (July 10, 2005 to November 15, 2009)

• Previous custodian or owner

  John Forbes

• Origin

  Red River Delta kilns, Hai Duong province, Vietnam

• 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

  1300s

• Name

  Forbes, John

• Place

  Hai Duong province, Vietnam, Red River Delta kilns

• Topic

  Art, Stoneware, Tran dynasty (1225 - 1400), Southeast Asian Art, Ceramics, Flowers

• Culture

  Southeast Asians

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)