CC0 · no rights reserved
Sake Flask (pair)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
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.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineSake 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
