Tea caddy, imo-no-ko type

Pinkish buff clay, concealed by iron wash. Rough string-cut base. Iron glaze, appearing mottled rust brown and black; single drip running onto base; large fingerprint surrounded by light brown patch. Inside glazed.

Historical period(s)
Momoyama period, 1570-1580
Medium
Stoneware with iron glaze; ivory lid
Style
Mino ware
Dimensions
H x Diam: 6.5 × 5 cm (2 9/16 × 2 in)
Geography
Japan, Gifu prefecture
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1905.38a-b
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Tea caddy (imo-no-ko chaire)

Keywords
Japan, Mino ware, Momoyama period (1573 - 1615), stoneware, tea
Provenance

To 1905
Thomas E. Waggaman (1839-1906), Washington, DC, to 1905 [1]

From 1905 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased at the sale of the Waggaman Collection, American Art Association, New York, NY, January 25-February 3, 1905, no. 1749 [2]

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

Notes:

[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1351, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Also see Curatorial Remark 12, Louise Cort, June 17, 2008, in the object record.

[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)

Thomas E. Waggaman 1839-1906
Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
American Art Association (C.L. Freer source) established 1883

Description

Pinkish buff clay, concealed by iron wash. Rough string-cut base. Iron glaze, appearing mottled rust brown and black; single drip running onto base; large fingerprint surrounded by light brown patch. Inside glazed.

Published References
  • Louise Allison Cort. Japanese Tea Culture: Art, History, and Practice. London and New York. fig. 3.11.
  • Louise Allison Cort. Seto and Mino Ceramics. Washington and Honolulu, 1992. cat. 14, p. 81.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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