Gourd-shaped flask with grapevines

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.