Kyoto ware tea bowl for the New Year, with three impressed seals reading "Shuhei"
date: label: Date
content: early 19th century
label: Period
content: Edo period
name: label: Artist
content: Ogata Shuhei (1788-1839)
notes: label: Description
content: Tea bowl, ovoidal; bold unglazed foot.
label: Description
content: Clay: dense, gray-white, showing grayish-buff under glaze.
label: Description
content: Glaze: translucent, uneven, crackled
label: Description
content: Decoration: over glaze, mouse and flaming jewel; ornamental seal; flecks of gold.
label: Description
content: Three seals, one on foot and two on body: Shuhei [Jpn]
label: Label
content: Younger brother of Nin'ami Dohachi, Ogata Shuhei allegedly adopted the surname Ogata out of reverence for Ogata Kenzan, the foremost Kyoto potter of the early 18th century. The enamel designs of a rat embracing a flaming jewel and an ornamental seal reading "long life" and "treasure" show that the bowl was intended for use in New Year's festivities beginning a Year of the Rat (possibly 1816 or 1828). Season-specific tea bowls abound among Kyoto decorated ceramics.
label: Provenance
content: To 1898
label: Provenance
content: A.D. Vorce and Co., Hartford, CT, to 1898 [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1898 to 1919
label: Provenance
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from A.D. Vorce and Co. in 1898 [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] See Original Pottery List, L. 323, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
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: Kyoto Ceramics (November 9, 1984 to April 25, 1985)
label: Exhibition History
content: Birds and Flowers of the Four Seasons in Japanese Art (September 14, 1977 to April 8, 1978)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: A. D. Vorce and Co. (C.L. Freer source)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
place: label: Origin
content: Kyoto, Kyoto prefecture, Japan
topic: label: Topic
content: enameling
label: Topic
content: ceramic
label: Topic
content: Kyoto ware
label: Topic
content: Edo period (1615 - 1868)
label: Topic
content: new year
label: Topic
content: tea
label: Topic
content: rat
label: Topic
content: Japan
label: Topic
content: stoneware
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: F1898.130
objectType: label: Type
content: Vessel
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Stoneware with enamels over clear glaze
label: Dimensions
content: H x Diam: 7.9 × 10.9 cm (3 1/8 × 4 5/16 in)
label: Style
content: Kyoto ware