Gourd-shaped sake bottle

Buff clay. Recessed base. Underglaze iron painted decoration of grapes, trellis, and willow branches. Thick feldspathic glaze, coarsely crackled. Base glazed; three round spur marks inside foot rim.

Historical period(s)
Momoyama period, 1607-1610
Medium
Stoneware with iron pigment under feldspathic glaze
Style
Mino ware, Decorated Shino type
Dimensions
H x W x D: 21.5 x 10.5 x 10.5 cm (8 7/16 x 4 1/8 x 4 1/8 in)
Geography
Japan, Gifu prefecture, Toki city, Kujiri village, Motoyashiki kiln
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1964.4
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Sake bottle (tokkuri)

Keywords
gourd, Japan, Mino ware, Shino type, Momoyama period (1573 - 1615), sake, wine
Provenance

To 1964
N.V. Hammer, Inc., New York. [1]

From 1964
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from N.V. Hammer, Inc., New York. [2]

Notes:

[1] Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record.

[2] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

N.V. Hammer, Inc.

Description

Buff clay. Recessed base. Underglaze iron painted decoration of grapes, trellis, and willow branches. Thick feldspathic glaze, coarsely crackled. Base glazed; three round spur marks inside foot rim.

Label

The shape of this ceramic bottle reflects the ancient custom of using gourds as containers for rice wine (sake).

Published References
  • Oriental Ceramics: The World's Great Collections. 12 vols., Tokyo. vol. 10, pl. 49.
  • Koyama Fujio. Japanese Ceramics from Ancient to Modern Times: Selected from Collections in Japan and America. Exh. cat. Oakland, CA. cat. 23.
  • Yoshio Tsuchiya. A Feast for the Eyes: The Japanese Art of Food Arrangement., 1st ed. Tokyo and New York. cat. 114.
  • Louise Allison Cort. Japanese Ceramics and Cuisine. vol. 3, no. 1 New York, Winter 1990. p. 18, fig. 6b.
  • Louise Allison Cort. Seto and Mino Ceramics. Washington and Honolulu, 1992. cat. 32, p. 28.
  • Calendar of Exhibitions. vol. 16, no. 6 Hong Kong, June 1985. p. 62.
  • Masterpieces of Chinese and Japanese Art: Freer Gallery of Art handbook. Washington, 1976. p. 82.
  • Report from America (East Coast). New Series, vol. 31, no. 2, Summer 1985. p. 202.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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