Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912) / 1893–97
Gu-Shaped Flower Vase
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Gu-Shaped Flower Vase as ceramic (Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912) · 1893–97).
This gu -shaped vase has “cherry blossom glaze” ( ōkayū ), which Yohei III invented in 1890.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this ceramic as Glazed porcelain with molded and carved designs and credits Seifū Yohei III (Japanese, 1851–1914).
The museum's collection notes: Seifū Yohei III was the most prominent head of a ceramics studio in Kyoto that specialized in Chinese-style porcelains and especially items for use in sencha (煎茶), or the drinking of steeped-leaf tea with companions. Sencha was popular among the bunjin of Kyoto and Osaka, who often enjoyed it as part of their emulation of Chinese culture. While sencha was by design less formal than the Japanese tea ceremony, it still featured the display of treasured objects. Prized Chinese antiquities were generally unobtainable, so substitutes such as the Gu-Shaped Flower Vase were much in demand.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtGu-Shaped Flower VaseOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.