Minneapolis Institute of Art

Gourd-shaped flask with grapevines

Japan

Date

early 17th century

Medium

Mino ware, Shino-Oribe type, stoneware with underglaze iron oxide

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Ceramics of the so-called Shino-Oribe style were among the varieties of glazed stoneware produced in the 1600s at kilns in Mino (modern-day Gifu Prefecture). They are characterized by pictorial motifs rendered in an iron-based pigment under a transparent glaze containing feldspar and silica. This flask, featuring a design of grapevines, takes the shape of a calabash gourd— when dried, it can be used as a bottle for holding medicines or liquids, especially sake, the alcoholic beverage made from rice. Japan, Asia

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