Sake Flask
Unknown Artist
1500s
Medium
Black laquered wood with red lacquer
Dimensions
h. 30.5 cm · diam. 24 cm
Classification
Lacquer
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Seventy-fifth anniversary gift of Mitsuru Tajima
Accession Number
1991.47.2
About this artwork
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.