Artwork Page for Sake Pourer with Chrysanthemum, Orchid, and Plum

Details / Information for Sake Pourer with Chrysanthemum, Orchid, and Plum

Sake Pourer with Chrysanthemum, Orchid, and Plum

四君子図酒瓶

c. 1887

Seifū Yohei III 三代清風与平

(Japanese, 1851–1914)
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Culture
Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)
Medium
Porcelain with underglaze blue
Measurements
height with handle: 23 cm (9 1/16 in.); width with spout: 24 cm (9 7/16 in.); Diameter: 18.5 cm (7 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of James and Christine Heusinger 2022.158
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
235A Japanese
Print
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Did You Know?

This sake pourer is decorated with the Chinese theme of the Four Nobles, in which the qualities of a good person are represented by plant.

Description

Seifū Yohei II and his successor, Seifū Yohei III, trained in ink painting. Their brush skills are seen in their underglaze cobalt blue designs. Orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, and plum, appearing on Yohei III’s sake pourer, are known as the Four Gentlemen. They symbolize the virtues of humility, integrity, endurance, and perseverance.
A white porcelain vessel features blue underglaze plum and orchid motifs, rising from a short foot to a rounded body. A tall arched handle spans the top, framing a flat lid. To the right, a wide spout projects outward. Delicate plum branches decorate the shoulder and lid, while long, tapering orchid leaves and flowers spread across the front in a dense, expressive cluster against the polished surface.

Sake Pourer with Chrysanthemum, Orchid, and Plum

c. 1887

Seifū Yohei III

(Japanese, 1851–1914)
Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)

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