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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
156116
label
Sake Flask
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
156116
contentType
object
title
Sake Flask
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
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79945105
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
1991.47.2
Source extras
tec
Black laquered wood with red lacquer
tombstone
Sake Flask, 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, Seventy-fifth anniversary gift of Mitsuru Tajima, 1991.47.2
collection
Japanese Art
formerAccessionNumbers
1991.48
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: p. 77, cat. no. 74b
creditline
Seventy-fifth anniversary gift of Mitsuru Tajima
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:07:06.724000
sourceId
156116
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
084f243caf79d191