Yaozhou ware vase

Historical period(s)
Northern Song dynasty, 11th-early 12th century
Medium
Stoneware with celadon glaze
Style
Yaozhou ware
Dimensions
H x W: 23.2 x 12.3 cm (9 1/8 x 4 13/16 in)
Geography
China, Shaanxi province, Tongguan county, Yaozhou kilns
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1919.90
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Vase

Keywords
China, green glaze, Northern Song dynasty (960 - 1127), stoneware, Yaozhou ware
Provenance

To 1919
You Xiaoxi (late 19th-early 20th century), Shanghai, to 1919 [1]

1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from You Xiaoxi in 1919 [2]

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

Notes:

[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 2615, 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)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
You Xiaoxi (C.L. Freer source) late 19th-early 20th century

Label

This pear-shaped vase is decorated with hand-carved floral decor; the glaze appears darker where it has pooled along the edges of the carving. The vase bears at least two coats of glaze, accounting for its deeper overall color. The many bubbles visible in the glaze reveal that it was not fired to the optimal high temperature that would have caused them to burst and melt.

Published References
  • James J. Lally. Collecting Chinese Ceramics in America: Morgan and Freer. vol. 73 London, 2008-2009. fig. 14.
  • Dr. John Alexander Pope, Thomas Lawton, Harold P. Stern. The Freer Gallery of Art. 2 vols., Washington and Tokyo, 1971-1972. cat. 90, vol. 1: p. 174.
  • Eileen M. Berry. Heritage Studies 6: To Know the Past., 2nd edition. Greenville, SC. p. 223.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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