Box with slip design of grapes and squirrel

Box

Freer purchased this small box during his 1907 trip to China. It is an example of Jingdezhen ware of the type known as <i>jiangtai</i> (soymilk body). Production of this type was at its peak in the early Qing dynasty. This box was originally used for seal paste or possibly cosmetics; some stains remain in the interior. In the Peacock Room in Detroit, Freer displayed it among a large grouping of blue-glazed Jun ware and several strategically placed cream or white-colored vessels.

19th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Stoneware with slip and cobalt pigment beneath clear glaze

Jingdezhen ware

HxW: 4.0 x 7.0 cm

F1907.66a-b

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2

107.1

South

Qing dynasty

Jingdezhen

China

Water jar

Water jar

mid 17th-19th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Stoneware with Jun-style glaze

Guangdong ware

HxW: 3.5 x 5.9 cm

F1907.59a-b

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2

107

South

Qing dynasty

China

Flowerpot stand impressed with character liu (six)

Flower pot stand

14th-15th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Y. Fujita and Company

Stoneware with Jun glaze and copper pigment

Jun ware

HxW: 6.8 x 22.2 cm

F1907.100a-b

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2

105

South

Yuan or Ming dynasty

China

Japan

Kyoto

Jar

Jar

late 13th-late 14th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Stoneware with Jun glaze

Jun ware

HxW: 20.4 x 22.5 cm

F1907.72a-b

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2

104

South

Yuan dynasty

China

Jar

Jar

19th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Stoneware with Jun-style glaze

Yixing ware

HxW: 11.0 x 12.4 cm

F1907.39a-b

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2

103.1

South

Qing dynasty

Yixing

China

Bowl

Bowl

Guantai kiln

14th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Yamanaka and Co.

Stoneware with iron slip brushed on iron glaze

Cizhou-type ware

HxW: 8.2 x 17.2 cm

F1897.7a-d

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2

103

South

Yuan dynasty

China

United States

New York

New York

Bowl

Bowl

late 13th-late 14th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Pao Who

Stoneware with Jun glaze

Jun ware

HxW: 7.8 x 18.2 cm

F1906.29

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2

102

South

Yuan dynasty

China

China

Shanghai

Water pot of lotus-bud form

Water pot

mid 17th-19th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Stoneware with Jun-style glaze and copper pigment

Guangdong ware

HxW: 6.6 x 6.9 cm

F1907.62a-b

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2

101.2

South

Qing dynasty

China

Bowl

Bowl

1279-1368

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Yamanaka and Co.

Stoneware with Jun glaze and copper pigment

Jun ware

HxW: 8.3 x 20.1 cm

F1906.256a-b

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2

101

South

Yuan dynasty

China

United States

New York

New York

Bowl

Bowl

late 13th-late 14th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Yamanaka and Co.

Stoneware with Jun glaze

Jun ware

HxW: 7.6 x 18.3 cm

F1901.124

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2

100

South

Yuan dynasty

China

United States

New York

New York

Incense burner

Incense burner

Described by Charles Freer as "an interesting specimen" that was "strongly modeled and beautifully glazed," this incense burner was purchased during the collector's 1907 trip to Japan. It is an example of Jun ware, which was produced at a number of imperial kilns in Henan province from the Song dynasty (960-1279) through the fifteenth century. The distinctive blue colors of the glaze&#151;which can range from greenish-blue to violet&#151;are the result of a chemical reaction that occurs during the firing and cooling process. Variations in tone occur because some areas of the pot are less thickly glazed than others. This chromatic complexity appealed to Freer, who acquired many examples of Jun ware. In the Peacock Room, which Freer called "the blue room," this piece was one of more than forty Jun or similarly blue-glazed ceramics displayed along the south wall, just beneath Whistler's allegorical mural of two battling peacocks.

late 13th-late 14th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Stoneware with Jun glaze and copper pigment

Jun ware

HxW: 10.4 x 10.4 cm

F1907.73a-b

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2

99.2

South

Yuan dynasty

China

Square box on four low feet

Box

mid 17th-19th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Stoneware with Jun-style glaze

Yixing ware

HxWxD: 3.8 x 6.4 x 6.3 cm

F1907.51a-b

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2

99.1

South

Qing dynasty

Yixing

China

Bowl

Bowl

late 13th-late 14th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Yamanaka and Co.

Stoneware with Jun glaze

Jun ware

HxW: 8.9 x 20.1 cm

F1903.231

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2

99

South

Yuan dynasty

China

United States

New York

New York

Bowl

Bowl

late 13th-late 14th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Y. Fujita and Company

Stoneware with Jun glaze

Jun ware

HxW: 7.6 x 18.1 cm

F1907.101

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2

98

South

Yuan dynasty

China

Japan

Kyoto

Water pot of lotus-bud form

Water pot

12th-13th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

American Art Association

Stoneware with Jun glaze and iron wash

Jun ware

HxW: 6.3 x 8.3 cm

F1904.26

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2

97.2

South

Jin dynasty

China

United States

New York

New York

Vase

Vase

18th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Stoneware with Jun-style glaze

Yixing ware

HxW: 14.6 x 7.0 cm

F1907.60

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2

97.1

South

Qing dynasty

Yixing

China

Bowl with imperial inscription dated 1776

Bowl

13th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

T. J. Larkin

Stoneware with Jun glaze

Jun ware

HxW: 8.4 x 19.5 cm

F1902.180

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2

97

South

Jin dynasty

China

England

London

Incense burner

Incense burner

late 13th-late 14th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Yamanaka and Co.

Stoneware with Jun glaze and copper pigment

Jun ware

HxW: 11.6 x 13.9 cm

F1905.80a-b

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2

96.1

South

Yuan dynasty

China

United States

New York

New York

Dish with molded decoration

Dish

Freer and his contemporaries regarded this as an example of Jun ware, which was produced in Henan province of China from the Song dynasty (960-1279) through the fifteenth century. Jun ware is characterized by its distinctive glazes, which range from greenish-blue to lavender and lavender-blue with violet splashes or marks. This dish is actually a later example of a Jun-style glaze. In the Peacock Room, which Freer called "the blue room," it was one of more than forty Jun or similarly blue-glazed ceramics displayed along the south wall, just beneath Whistler's allegorical mural of two battling peacocks.

17th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Yamanaka and Co.

Stoneware with Jun-style glaze

Shiwan (Shekwan) or Yixing ware

HxW: 4.7 x 21.8 cm

F1905.306

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96

South

Ming or Qing dynasty

China

United States

New York

New York

Bottle

Bottle

Shiwan kilns

This piece, part of the 1898 sale of the Charles Dana collection, was described in the auction catalogue as "invested with a rich yellow and pale claire de lune glaze, permeated by a double crackle in violet and brown." Freer circled the entry and noted, "Most perfect." The reference to <i>claire de lune</i> suggests that Freer and his contemporaries regarded this as an example of Jun ware, which was produced in Henan province of China from the Song dynasty through the fifteenth century. Jun ware is characterized by its distinctive glazes, which range from greenish-blue to lavender and lavender-blue with violet splashes or marks. This bottle is actually a later example of a Jun-style glaze. In the Peacock Room, which Freer called "the blue room," this bottle was one of more than forty Jun or similarly blue-glazed ceramics displayed along the south wall, just beneath Whistler's allegorical mural of two battling peacocks.

17th-19th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Stoneware with rice-straw ash glaze

Shiwan (Shekwan) ware

HxW: 17.0 x 16.3 cm

F1898.46

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2

95

South

Qing dynasty

China

Vessel in the shape of a lidded alms bowl

Bowl

18th-19th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Stoneware with Jun-style glaze

Jingdezhen ware

HxW: 12.5 x 16.6 cm

F1898.44a-e

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2

94

South

Qing dynasty

Jingdezhen

China

Dish

Dish

12th-13th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Yamanaka and Co.

Porcelain with transparent ivory-toned glaze; metal rim

Ding ware

HxW: 3.8 x 17.3 cm

F1898.449

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2

93

South

Jin dynasty

China

United States

New York

New York

Bottle with three green splashes

Bottle

Guantai kiln

This bottle, with the distinctive splashes of green along its shoulder, was purchased from the New York shop of Yamanaka and Company. The dealer told Freer that it had been found in Korea and was thought to have been made there. Freer, however, later suspected&#151;correctly&#151;that it was Chinese and from the Song dynasty. Accordingly, he displayed it in the Peacock Room in Detroit adjacent to other Song ceramics.

late 10th - 11th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Yamanaka and Co.

Stoneware with white slip under clear, colorless glaze; three splashes of copper-green glaze

Cizhou ware

HxW: 33.1 x 15.4 cm

F1905.79

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2

92

South

Northern Song dynasty

China

United States

New York

New York

Jar with design of deer holding lingzhi fungus

Jar

When Freer purchased this jar in 1902, its origins were not well understood. He subsequently described it as "rare" and noted, "I feel confident that this unusual specimen is Sung." It was actually produced in the nineteenth century, and its damaged neck had been ground down and disguised with a wooden lid. The prancing animal and style of painting seem to grow out of a Chinese folk tradition, with the animal resembling the galloping horses drawn with slip on jars from Suzhou, near Shanghai. In the Peacock Room, Freer displayed this jar near other Chinese ceramics, including a green-glazed funeral jar and a white bottle with a touch of green, both dating from the Song dynasty.

19th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

R. E. Moore

Stoneware with white slip and cobalt pigment under clear crackled glaze; wooden lid with amethyst knob

HxW: 18.2 x 19.9 cm

F1902.4a-b

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2

91

South

Qing dynasty

China

United States

New York

New York

Tomb jar

Tomb jar

This slender tomb jar dating to the Southern Song dynasty in the thirteenth century is one of a dozen similar funeral wares purchased by Freer from the New York gallery of Yamanaka and Company. In the Peacock Room in Detroit, it was displayed as a pair with another Southern Song tomb jar with a similar crackled, gray-green celadon glaze. The two vessels were symmetrically arranged on the top shelves of what is now the south wall, flanking Whistler's mural of fighting peacocks.

13th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Yamanaka and Co.

Stoneware with celadon glaze

Longquan-type ware

HxW: 40.1 x 14.8 cm

F1903.233

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2

90

South

Southern Song dynasty

China

United States

New York

New York

Vase

Vase

A rich blue enamel glaze, with areas of green, characterizes this Ming or Qing dynasty Chinese porcelain vase. It was purchased in Japan in 1907 - one of the few ceramics purchases that Freer made during his travels there. Back home in Detroit, the collector noted to himself: "Learn period. Is it Ming or later?" In Detroit, he displayed it with a number of Jun or Jun-style wares, creating a harmony in blue to complement Whistler's interior decorations, which Freer referred to as "the Blue Room."

mid 17th-19th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Porcelain with enamel glaze

HxW: 24.5 x 9.6 cm

F1907.74

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2

89

South

Ming or Qing dynasty

China

Vase

Vase

Shiwan kilns

Speculating about the date of this Chinese vase, Freer mused, "The paste suggests Sung, but the glaze is Yuanish. Learn dynasty and, if possible, province." He had purchased this piece, along with seventeen other specimens, from the Dana Collection Sale, where it was described in the auction catalogue as a "tall jar, with gray crackle, claire-de-lune glaze, broken by crimson and purple splash" Although he was unsure of its precise attribution, Freer did believe this example&#151;with its distinctive blue glaze&#151;was Jun ware, produced in Henan province of China from the Song dynasty through the fifteenth century. It is actually a later example of a Qing dynasty Jun-style glaze. In the Peacock Room, which Freer called "the blue room," this bottle was one of more than forty Jun or Jun-style ceramics displayed along the south wall, just beneath Whistler's allegorical mural of two battling peacocks.

mid 17th-18th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Stoneware with Jun-style glaze

Shiwan (Shekwan) ware

HxW: 30.4 x 12.2 cm

F1898.32

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2

88

South

Qing dynasty

China

Figure of a bodhisattva

Figure

When Freer purchased this unglazed bodhisattva figure from Yamanaka and Company in 1905, he noted on the invoice, "It is said the maker was a Chinese priest and that he presented it to a Japanese temple in the 16th century." Yamanaka had acquired the piece from the Thomas Waggaman sale, where it was part of a long run of "miscellaneous" Japanese ceramics. Later, in his inventory notes, Freer seemed to reject his earlier idea about the figure and commented, "We have no record of the age or place of manufacture of this specimen. It is, however, Chinese and I fancy not later than early Ming." The date of this piece remains a mystery: it is attributed to the Ming or Qing dynasty, dating to the fifteenth through the nineteenth century.

15th-19th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Yamanaka and Co.

Earthenware with white slip and traces of red, green and black pigment

HxWxD: 32.2 x 15.5 x 11.5 cm

F1905.30

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2

87

South

Ming or Qing dynasty

China

United States

New York

New York

Tomb vessel with lid ("hill jar")

Tomb vessel

This lidded vessel is one of two closely related Eastern Han dynasty tomb jars that Freer exhibited on what is now the east wall of the Peacock Room, adjacent to one of the gilded peacock shutters. In China, this jar would have been filled with a funeral offering, but Freer was more interested in its aesthetic qualities - its light green glaze with a silvery iridescence that harmonized not only with other ceramics, but with his collection of American tonalist paintings as well.

early 1st-early 3rd century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Yamanaka and Co.

Earthenware with copper-green lead-silicate glaze

HxW: 227.0 x 20.3 cm

F1906.246a-b

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2

86

East

Eastern Han dynasty

China

United States

New York

New York

Bottle

Bottle

This slender baluster-shaped bottle was purchased by Freer from the New York branch of Yamanaka and Company in 1905, and at the time it was thought to date to the Song dynasty. Like many of Freer's ceramics, this piece is now known to be from a later period of production. In the Peacock Room in Detroit, the collector displayed it near a number of other Chinese ceramics, many of them featuring a similarly cream-colored surface with touches of color along the neck or shoulder.

1279-1368

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Yamanaka and Co.

Stoneware with white slip under clear, colorelss glaze and iron glaze

Cizhou ware

HxW: 27.5 x 12.3 cm

F1905.279

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2

85

East

Yuan dynasty

China

United States

New York

New York

Vase

Vase

Zhangzhou kilns

Freer purchased this Qing dynasty vase from the sale of the Samuel Colman collection just after the turn of the twentieth century; he believed it was a much older specimen, dating to the Song dynasty. Western connoisseurs who collected Chinese ceramics at the turn of the century knew relatively little about earlier wares. Since the meticulously formed and decorated Qing dynasty porcelains were generally regarded as the culminating achievement of a centuries-old tradition, it was assumed that wares like this cream-colored stoneware vase&#151;more heavily potted and glazed-were from an earlier, less sophisticated period of production.

mid 17th-19th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

American Art Association

Stoneware with white slip under clear glaze

Zhangzhou ware

HxW: 21.4 x 10.9 cm

F1902.86

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2

84

East

Qing dynasty

China

United States

New York

New York

Vase with relief design of peony scroll

Vase

Shiwan kilns

Western connoisseurs who collected Chinese ceramics at the turn of the century knew relatively little about earlier wares. Since the meticulously formed and decorated Qing dynasty porcelains were generally regarded as the culminating achievement of a centuries-old tradition, it was assumed that the earlier wares must be more heavily potted and glazed. Thus, when Freer purchased this jar in 1894, he accepted the Song dynasty date assigned to it. However, its robust shape, lustrous glaze, and bold floral decoration are characteristic of the Shiwan wares made in Guangdong province during the late Ming and Qing dynasties. This vase is an especially fine example of Shiwan ware, and its quality helps explain why both Chinese and Western collectors originally valued such objects so highly.

17th century

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

R. E. Moore

Stoneware with opaque white glaze

Shiwan (Shekwan) ware

HxW: 32.3 x 23.6 cm

F1894.3a-b

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2

83

East

Ming dynasty

China

United States

New York

New York