Japan / 1861–78
Sake Cups with Auspicious Flora
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Sake Cups with Auspicious Flora as ceramic (Japan · 1861–78).
These modest cups are important for the connoisseurship of the art of Yohei II because their original box is intact with a signature and seal on the interior of the lid.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this ceramic as Pair of sake cups; porcelain with underglaze blue and credits Seifū Yohei II (Japanese, 1844–1878).
The museum's collection notes: Seifū Yohei II and his successor, Seifū Yohei III, trained in ink painting. Their brush skills are seen in their underglaze cobalt blue designs. One of Yohei II’s sake cups has depictions of orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, representing spring, summer, and fall, while the other has pine and plum, representing winter. Just under the rim, he has also brushed the phrase “Pine, plum, and fungus immortals” (松梅芝仙).
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtSake Cups with Auspicious FloraOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.