Incense box in the shape of a turtle

Detail of a pattern
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At A Glance

  • Period

    mid 17th century
  • Geography

    Kyoto, Japan
  • Material

    Shigaraki-style stoneware with thin clear glaze
  • Dimension

    H x W x D: 4.9 x 5.9 x 8.8 cm (1 15/16 x 2 5/16 x 3 7/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1898.436a-b
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1898.436a-b

Object Details

  • Artist

    Attributed to Hon'ami Koho (1601-1682)
  • Description

    Unglazed Incense box.
    Clay: coarse, conglomerate, gray, with sparse touches of orange.
    Shigaraki type.
  • Label

    A grandson of the versatile artist Hon'ami Koetsu, Kuchu maintained a residence near Koetsu at Takagamine. Like his grandfather, Kuchu occasionally made tea bowls in the Black Raku format. He is best known, however, for his ceramics made from clay mixed with coarse feldspar grains to approximate the appearance of Shigaraki ware, which had been popular for tea utensils since the sixteenth century. These pieces executed in the spirit of a historical ware constitute a respected type of copy.
  • Provenance

    To 1898
    Bunkio Matsuki (1867-1940), Boston, to 1898 [1]
    From 1898 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Bunkio Matsuki in 1898 [2]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 299, 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.
  • Collection

    Freer Gallery of Art Collection
  • Exhibition History

    Seasons: Tea (February 5 to August 7, 2011)
    Seasons: Arts of Japan (February 5, 2011 to January 13, 2013)
    Freer: A Taste for Japanese Art (July 1, 2006 to January 1, 2007)
    The Koetsu Tea Bowl (May 15, 1998 to June 23, 2005)
    Kyoto Ceramics (November 9, 1984 to April 25, 1985)
    Birds and Flowers of the Four Seasons in Japanese Art (September 14, 1977 to April 8, 1978)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Bunkio Matsuki 松木文恭 (1867-1940) (C.L. Freer source)
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
  • Origin

    Kyoto, Japan
  • Credit Line

    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
  • Type

    Container
  • Restrictions and Rights

    CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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