Sake Bottle (Tokkuri) with “Three Friends of Winter” (Pine, Bamboo, and Plum)
Unknown Artist
17th century
Medium
Glazed stoneware with polychrome enamels (Kyoto ware)
Dimensions
H.. 6 3/4 in. (17.1 cm); W. 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm); D. 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
Accession Number
1975.268.594
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant sake bottle, known as a *tokkuri*, hails from 17th-century Japan during the Edo period (1615–1868), a time of relative peace and flourishing craftsmanship. Produced in Kyoto ware kilns, it measures a compact 6 3/4 inches tall and served a practical purpose: warming and pouring sake at gatherings or meals. Kyoto ware, prized for its refined aesthetics, reflects the era's blend of everyday utility and artistic sophistication, appealing to the growing merchant class. The bottle's charm lies in its vibrant decoration of the “Three Friends of Winter”—pine, bamboo, and plum—traditional...