The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Tea Whisk-Shaped Sake Bottle

Tea Whisk-Shaped Sake Bottle

1660s-early 1670s
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This bottle is for sake, or fermented rice wine, Japan's most famous variety of local alcohol.

Description

This sake bottle resembles a whisk used in preparing powdered green tea, with the handle at the top and the body of the brush flaring out below. Its bold design is anchored by images of chrysanthemums and pomegranates set in panels against a ground of red hatching with tri-colored clouds. Additional patterns of swirls, stripes, flowers, and other forms make the piece eye-popping.
  • ?-2013
    Private Collection, UK, sold to Sebastian Izzard
    2013-2014
    (Sebastian Izzard, LLC, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    2014-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Archives of Asian Art. "Art of Asia Acquired by North American Museums, 2013-2014." Archives of Asian Art 65, no.1&2 (2015): 181-236. Reproduced: p.190, fig. 10
  • Japanese Gallery 235 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (January 2-July 9, 2018).
  • {{cite web|title=Tea Whisk-Shaped Sake Bottle|url=false|author=|year=1660s-early 1670s|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2014.391