Tea bowl with design of cranes and chrysanthemums

Object Details

Artist: Possibly by Ogata Kenzan 尾形乾山 (1663-1743); Narutaki workshop (active 1699-1712) or contemporary Kyoto workshop

Description: Clay: buff stoneware.; Glaze: transparent, crackled.; Decoration: white slip and cobalt and iron pigments, under glaze.; Signature.
Signatures: Kenzan
Label: The combination of crane and chrysanthemum has two possible but interrelated nuances. First, it is an auspicious combination, since both bird and flower symbolize longevity. Second, the painting may refer to poems of birds and flowers of the twelve months by Kamakura period poet Fujiwara Teika, demonstrated as a favorite theme in Kenzan ware; the crane and chrysanthemum pairing are used for the tenth month.
Provenance: To 1899; S. Eida, to 1899 [1]; From 1899 to 1919; Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from S. Eida in 1899 [2]; From 1920; Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]; Notes:; [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 340, 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: Feathered Ink (August 27, 2022 to February 20, 2023); Arts of Japan: Edo Aviary and Poetic License (February 2 to August 4, 2013); The Potter's Brush: The Kenzan Style in Japanese Ceramics (December 9, 2001 to October 27, 2002)
Previous custodian or owner: S. Eida (C.L. Freer source); Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

Medium: Buff clay; white slip, iron and cobalt pigments under transparent glaze
Dimensions: H x Diam: 7.2 × 10.4 cm (2 13/16 × 4 1/8 in)

Related Online Resources: Google Cultural Institute
See more items in: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Topic: ceramic; crane; Edo period (1615 - 1868); chrysanthemum; tea; Japan; Japanese Art; Charles Lang Freer collection

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3e4be56f3-36a2-4052-bd49-a8b4a2b616e4