Porcelain with iron pigment and lead-silicate enamel glaze
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 3.3 × 6 × 4.4 cm (1 5/16 × 2 3/8 × 1 3/4 in)
Style:
Zhangzhou ware
Type:
Vessel
Origin:
Zhangzhou kilns, Fujian province, China
Date:
16th century
Period:
Ming dynasty
Description:
Water cup, in toad-form; circular opening in top. Wood stand. Polychrome.
Clay: soft, white, thinly potted.
Glaze: turquoise blue, with faint iridescence; local touches of red.
Label:
Small, mold-formed water vessels in the shape of toads or other animals were made for use by scholars, who would use a small spoon to transfer water to the inkstone for mixing ink.
Provenance:
To 1917
Yamanaka & Company, to 1917 [1]
From 1917 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1917 [2]
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
Notes:
[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 2566, Freer Galley of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. The majority of Charles Lang Freer’s purchases from Yamanaka & Company were made at its New York branch. Yamanaka & Company maintained branch offices, at various times, in Boston, Chicago, London, Peking, Shanghai, Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto. During the summer, the company also maintained seasonal locations in Newport, Bar Harbor, and Atlantic City.
[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:
The Tea Ceremony as Melting Pot (January 31 to July 18, 2004)
Previous custodian or owner:
Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965) (C.L. Freer source)
