"Ginger jar" with cover

Object Details

• Description

  Cobalt decoration under colorless glaze. Crenellated border design at neck. Cracked ice diaper background with decoration of prunus branches with blossoms, ending in a double blue line at base above foot. Mouth and foot rims unglazed.

• Inscriptions

  Old labels on base of body: oval paper label, "The Leonard Gow Collection, #33" (two of these); "Chinese Exhibition Manchester, 1936 Art Gallery 6572"; and "Royal Academy of Arts, London. International Exhibition of Chinese Art, 1935-6. ser. nos 1542, owner Dr. Leonard Gow Herensburgh."

• Provenance

  To ?

  Leonard Gow (1859-1936), Glasgow, Scotland. [1]

  To 1951

  Mr. Alfred H. and Mrs. Margaret M. Caspary. [2]

  From 1951 to 1995

  Philadelphia Museum of Art, gift of Alfred and Margaret Caspary. [3]

  From 1995

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. [4]

  Notes:

  [1] Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] See note 1.

  [4] The jar was deaccessioned from the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s collection through a sale initiated in late 1994, when the Freer Gallery of Art purchased it. See note 1. Also see Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920 file, Collections Management Office.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Ruffled Feathers: Creating Whistler's Peacock Room (July 13, 2024 to January 21, 2027)

  The Peacock Room in Blue and White (May 18, 2019 to June 1, 2022)

  Chinamania (2016) (July 9, 2016 to June 4, 2017)

  Inaugural Exhibition (1956)

  Untitled Exhibition, Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries, 1937 (1937)

  International Exhibition of Chinese Art (November 28, 1935 to March 7, 1936)

  The Peacock Room (May 2, 1923 to February 21, 2011)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Leonard Gow (1859-1936)

  Alfred H. Caspary (1877-1955)

  Margaret M. Caspary (died 1953)

  Philadelphia Museum of Art

• Origin

  Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• On View

  Freer Gallery 11: Ruffled Feathers: Creating Whistler's Peacock Room

• 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

  1720s, 1660s

• Name

  Caspary, Margaret M., Gow, Leonard, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Caspary, Alfred H.

• Place

  China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen

• Topic

  Cobalt pigment, Porcelain, Art, Chinese Art, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), Ceramics, Jingdezhen ware, Plum blossom

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)

• On View

  Yes