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Source Description
This sake pourer is of a type called a <em>chōshi</em>. It is elaborately decorated with flowers in overglaze enamels in several colors, including black for the contour lines of leaves and stems; orange, white, gold, and two shades of green for the peonies; and purple for the thistles. The white blossoms have been built up with white enamel, then incised for a white-on-white eect; the orange and purple use an absence of color to produce the contours of individual petals. Yohei III referred to his works in multicolor overglaze enamels as “hundred flower brocades” (<em>hyakka nishiki</em>). Two small <em>nyoi </em>(C. <em>ruyi</em>) staff-head motifs, molded in clay and applied to either side of the lid, create handle rests, as well as natural places for the thumb and index finger of one hand to rest, so one can both secure the lid and steady the pour, while the handles are held in the other hand. The top of a <em>nyoi</em> staff resembles the curled cap of the <em>reishi</em>. Such scepters are imagined to be found in the hands of sages, Daoist immortals, or Buddhist deities and connote lofty goings-on and favorable circumstances. Since this sake pourer is unsigned, it may have been made for imperial family members to give as a gift.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
519650
label
Lid for a Sake Pourer with Flowers
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
519650
contentType
object
title
Lid for a Sake Pourer with Flowers
description
This sake pourer is of a type called a <em>chōshi</em>. It is elaborately decorated with flowers in overglaze enamels in several colors, including black for the contour lines of leaves and stems; orange, white, gold, and two shades of green for the peonies; and purple for the thistles. The white blossoms have been built up with white enamel, then incised for a white-on-white eect; the orange and purple use an absence of color to produce the contours of individual petals. Yohei III referred to his works in multicolor overglaze enamels as “hundred flower brocades” (<em>hyakka nishiki</em>). Two small <em>nyoi </em>(C. <em>ruyi</em>) staff-head motifs, molded in clay and applied to either side of the lid, create handle rests, as well as natural places for the thumb and index finger of one hand to rest, so one can both secure the lid and steady the pour, while the handles are held in the other hand. The top of a <em>nyoi</em> staff resembles the curled cap of the <em>reishi</em>. Such scepters are imagined to be found in the hands of sages, Daoist immortals, or Buddhist deities and connote lofty goings-on and favorable circumstances. Since this sake pourer is unsigned, it may have been made for imperial family members to give as a gift.
date
1893–1914
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q117599832
creators
299428
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
3.5 x 5 cm (1 3/8 x 1 15/16 in.)
cul
Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)
accession
2022.161.b
Source extras
tec
Porcelain with molded design, overglaze color enamel
tombstone
Lid for a Sake Pourer with Flowers, 1893–1914. Seifū Yohei III (Japanese, 1851–1914). Porcelain with molded design, overglaze color enamel; 3.5 x 5 cm (1 3/8 x 1 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of James and Christine Heusinger, 2022.161.b
collection
Japanese Art
didYouKnow
This sake pourer with purple thistles and orange peonies shows off Seifū Yohei III’s technique of enamels painted over the glaze.
citations
citation
"Colours of Kyoto, Ceramics From the Yohei Studio." <em>The Asian Art Newspaper: Monthly for Collectors, Dealers, Museums and Galleries </em>27, no. 1 (November 2023): 8
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 8
creditline
Gift of James and Christine Heusinger
updatedAt
2026-05-29 09:07:14.477000
sourceId
519650
dept
Japanese Art
coll
Japanese Art
med
Porcelain with molded design, overglaze color enamel
creatorTags
male
Asian (from 1900 to present)
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
045a04dbc5fb6ee4