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Source Description
This flask contained rice wine, or sake. Its wood body was shaped by a lathe before black lacquer was applied to the surface. A red lacquer design of grapevines, an auspicious motif, covers the surface. With their numerous, long-lasting fruits, grapevines traditionally symbolized fertility and longevity in East Asia.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
156114
label
Sake Flask (pair)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
156114
contentType
object
title
Sake Flask (pair)
description
This flask contained rice wine, or sake. Its wood body was shaped by a lathe before black lacquer was applied to the surface. A red lacquer design of grapevines, an auspicious motif, covers the surface. With their numerous, long-lasting fruits, grapevines traditionally symbolized fertility and longevity in East Asia.
date
1500s
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79945100
genreSpecific
Lacquer
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 24 cm (9 7/16 in.); Overall: 30.5 cm (12 in.)
cul
Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573)
accession
1991.47
Source extras
tec
Black laquered wood with red lacquer
tombstone
Sake Flask (pair), 1500s. Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573). Black laquered wood with red lacquer; diameter: 24 cm (9 7/16 in.); overall: 30.5 cm (12 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1991.47
collection
Japanese Art
didYouKnow
The evocative imagery of brushed leaves and bunches of grapes suggest that the artist referred to a particular painting when decorating this vase.
citations
citation
Turner, Evan H., et al. “Notable Acquisitions.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>, vol. 78, no. 3, 1991, pp. 63–147.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 141
citation
Cunningham, Michael R. <em>The Triumph of Japanese Style: 16th-Century Art in Japan</em>. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Published by the Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with the Indiana University Press, 1991.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 121
citation
Sŏn, Sŭng-hye. <em>The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2011.
page_number
Reproduced: pp. 76-77, cat. no. 74a & 74b
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:06:55.123000
sourceId
156114
dept
Japanese Art
coll
Japanese Art
med
Black laquered wood with red lacquer
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
f022de952ce03012