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Bottle with carved and incised design of two phoenixes and peony vinescrolls

National Museum of Asian Art

Object Details

Description
Vase: maebyong with bulbous shoulder, short neck and cup-lip.
Clay: hard, gray.
Glaze: gray-green with faint bluish tinge. Interior unglazed.
Decoration: carved in the paste under glaze: two phoenixes amid peony vinescrolls.
Label
This bottle, probably made for use in the royal court, is embellished with the motif of phoenixes among peony scrolls, which signifies peace and prosperity. Masterful carving of the design caused the glaze to pool in the deeper cuts. Where the glaze is thick, it appears darker, outlining the motifs and emphasizing the incised details.
Provenance
To 1912
Yamanaka & Company, New York to 1912 [1]
From 1912 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company, New York in 1912 [2]
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
Notes:
[1] Undated folder sheet note. Also see Original Pottery List, L. 2361, Freer Galley 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
Rediscovering Korea’s Past (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)
Cranes and Clouds: The Korean Art of Ceramic Inlay (November 5, 2011 to January 3, 2016)
Korean Ceramics of the Koryo Dynasty (May 9, 1993 to August 7, 2011)
Korean Art (May 9, 1993 to January 29, 1997)
Chinese and Korean Ceramics (July 11, 1986 to March 13, 1987)
Korean Art (December 17, 1984 to June 23, 1986)
Korean Art (June 4, 1982 to September 23, 1982)
Korean Art (March 20, 1982 to 2 April 1984)
Korean Art (July 15, 1981 to September 15, 1981)
Korean Art (March 20, 1980 to March 3, 1981)
Korean Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to October 13, 1978)
Korean Art (June 24, 1977 to April 8, 1978)
Korean Art (June 19, 1969 to November 10, 1976)
Korean Art (November 2, 1959 to November 22, 1971)
Untitled Exhibition, Korean Art, 1958 (July 10, 1958 to April 15, 1959)
Centennial Exhibition, Gallery 16 (February 25, 1956 to July 11, 1958)
Untitled Exhibition, Korean Ceramics with Korean and Japanese Paintings (February 15, 1955 to April 13, 1955)
Untitled Exhibition, East Asian Ceramics and Paintings, East Corridor (January 8, 1947 to ---)
Early Chinese Pottery and Scultpure, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1916 (March 6 to October 15, 1916)
Untitled Exhibition, The Japan Society, February 1914 (February 1914)
Previous custodian or owner
Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965) (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
mid 12th century
Period
Goryeo period
Accession Number
F1912.96
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Vessel
Medium
Stoneware with celadon glaze
Dimensions
H x W: 28.5 x 18.8 cm (11 1/4 x 7 3/8 in)
Origin
Gangjin kilns, Jeollanam-do province, Korea
On View
Freer Gallery 14: Rediscovering Korea's Past
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
Korean Ceramics in the Freer Gallery of Art
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
peony
phoenix
Goryeo period (918 - 1392)
wine
green glaze
Korea
stoneware
Korean Art
Charles Lang Freer collection
Record ID
fsg_F1912.96
Metadata Usage (text)
Usage conditions apply
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye354450b68-24a9-4363-b3c7-ed16f5087420
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

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