Tea bowl in mishima style, Karatsu ware

Tea bowl, deep ovoidal, on high notched base. Gold lacquer repair on rim.
Clay: hard, gray.
Glaze: bright, gray; lightly crackled.
Decoration: inlaid in under-glaze white, on both surfaces.

Historical period(s)
Edo period, 1630-1650
Medium
Stoneware with white slip inlaid under clear glaze
Style
Karatsu, Agano, or Takatori ware, Mishima type
Dimensions
H x Diam: 9.3 × 13.7 cm (3 11/16 × 5 3/8 in)
Geography
Japan, Saga prefecture or Fukuoka prefecture
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1897.80
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Tea bowl

Keywords
Agano ware, Edo period (1615 - 1868), Japan, Karatsu ware, stoneware, Takatori ware, tea, white slip
Provenance

To 1897
Yamanaka & Company, New York to 1897 [1]

From 1897 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1897 [2]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:

[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 527, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[2] See note 1.

[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
Yamanaka and Co. (C.L. Freer source) 1917 - 1965

Description

Tea bowl, deep ovoidal, on high notched base. Gold lacquer repair on rim.
Clay: hard, gray.
Glaze: bright, gray; lightly crackled.
Decoration: inlaid in under-glaze white, on both surfaces.

Label

Made at one of the kilns in southern Japan established by immigrant Korean potters, this bowl uses a Korean decorative technique of enduring popularity. Known in Japan as mishima, the decoration employs white clay solution (slip) brushed over stamped or incised motifs to create subtly irregular patterns. The vessel is then coated with clear glaze, through which the patterns may be seen.

Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
SI Usage Statement

Usage Conditions Apply

There are restrictions for re-using this image. 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 Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

citation | Save this image How to download an image | Request Permission | Terms of Use