Tomb vessel with lid ("hill jar")

Label Text

This Eastern Han dynasty tomb jar, purchased by Freer in 1905, came from the New York gallery of Yamanaka and Company. In China, it would have been filled with funeral offerings, but Freer was more interested in its aesthetic qualities than its original use. This example features a bluish-green glaze with a golden iridescence and an overflow of yellow. The lid has been repaired with gold lacquer, giving it a particularly apt chromatic resonance with the Peacock Room, whose secondary title is "Harmony in Blue and Gold." The following year, Freer purchased a similar specimen from the same dealer, which he displayed adjacent to this one.

Object Name

Tomb vessel

Dated

early 1st-early 3rd century

Period

Eastern Han dynasty

Medium

Earthenware with copper-green lead-silicate glaze

Dimensions

HxW: 24.9 x 21.5 cm

Country

China

Credit Line

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Iteration

2

Shelf Number

79

Wall

East

Title

Tomb vessel with lid ("hill jar")

Object Number

F1905.83a-b

Freer Source

Yamanaka and Co.

Freer Source City

New York

Freer Source State

New York

Freer Source Country

United States

Image

http://141.217.97.109/plugins/Dropbox/files/peacock-jpg/JPEG/F1905.83a-b.jpg

Collection

Citation

"Tomb vessel with lid ("hill jar")," in The Peacock Room, Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Accession No. F1905.83a-b, Item #3182, http://peacockroom.wayne.edu/items/show/3182 (accessed March 28, 2024).