Tea caddy imitating Takatori ware
date: label: Date
content: 18th-19th century
label: Period
content: Edo period
notes: label: Description
content: Tea caddy. Ivory cover. Unidentified base covered with brown and black lacquer in imitation of a Takatori pottery glaze.
label: Label
content: Takatori ware ceramic tea caddies with layered glazes were popular tea utensils. The skillful lacquerer who made this tea caddy perfectly replicated the color and texture of Takatori ware. Ceramic tea containers are used customarily for the preparation called thick tea, while lacquer containers are used for thin tea. This lacquer posing as ceramic playfully crosses boundaries.
label: Provenance
content: To 1902
label: Provenance
content: Samuel Colman (1832-1920), New York, NY, and Newport, RI, to 1902 [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1902 to 1919
label: Provenance
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased at the sale of the Samuel Colman Collection, American Art Association, New York, March 19-22, 1902 [2]
label: Provenance
content: From 1920
label: Provenance
content: Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] Undated folder sheet note. See Original Pottery List, L. 1136, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Samuel Colman was collecting Asian objects by at least 1880 (see Curatorial Remark 6, Louise Cort, April 20, 2007, in the object record).
label: Provenance
content: [2] See note 1.
label: Provenance
content: [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.
label: Collection
content: Freer Gallery of Art Collection
label: Exhibition History
content: Games, Contests and Artful Play in Japan (March 19 to October 23, 2005)
label: Exhibition History
content: An Invitation to Tea (November 9, 1996 to April 26, 1998)
label: Exhibition History
content: Japanese and Chinese Lacquer (September 22, 1982 to June 30, 1983)
label: Exhibition History
content: Japanese Lacquer (April 16, 1979 to October 8, 1980)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Samuel Colman (1832-1920)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: American Art Association (established 1883) (C.L. Freer source)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
place: label: Origin
content: Japan
topic: label: Topic
content: lacquer
label: Topic
content: ivory
label: Topic
content: Edo period (1615 - 1868)
label: Topic
content: tea
label: Topic
content: Japan
label: Topic
content: Japanese Art
label: Topic
content: Charles Lang Freer collection
setName: label: Related Online Resources
content: Google Arts & Culture
label: See more items in
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Charles Lang Freer
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: F1902.70a-b
objectType: label: Type
content: Vessel
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Lacquer on unidentified base; ivory lid
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 7 x 4.2 cm (2 3/4 x 1 5/8 in)