Lithophane sake cup

Dublin Core

Title

Lithophane sake cup

Subject

Lithophane sake cup, Japanese art, women, Seven Lucky Gods (Shichifukujin)

Description

Sake cup wiith Japanese writing, illustrated in color. An image of a woman's head impressed in the bottom of the cup (interior) becomes visible when the cup is held up to light.

Creator

Unknown

Publisher

Kutani

Date

Unknown [assumed to be c. 1950s]

Contributor

Zhixuan Lin, Isabel Miller

Language

Japanese

Type

Sake cup

Identifier

#1598

3D Objects Item Type Metadata

Color

Vivid color with graphic images, Japanese kanji written in dark blue color

Condition

Very good condition. Some small scratches on bottom rim.

Curatorial Note

The relatively thick bottom of the cup tapers off toward the rim, which is thinner and more delicate (the cup flares outward). Good condition with clear and detailed graphic images and writing on the cup; the image of a woman's head on the cup's bottom (interior) is particularly clear when seen against natural light. Such Lithophane sake cups were commonly sent or brought home as souvenirs by World War II military service members, and the item could date from that era.

Material Note

Porcelain

Graphic Description

The cup's exterior is illustrated with a seated image of Jurōjin, the god of longevity, one of the Seven Lucky Gods (Shichifukujin) in Japanese mythology. There are Japanese kanji written vertically in cursive style inside the cup. The image of a woman's head with a traditional coiffure is impressed into the bottom of the cup. This image in such cups is commonly referred to as a "Single Geisha."

Physical Dimensions

2" tall, 1" wide (bottom), 2" wide (top).

Provenance Collection

REJ Research Collection

Files

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Citation

Unknown, “Lithophane sake cup,” ReEnvisioning Japan, accessed March 28, 2024, https://rej.lib.rochester.edu/items/show/5483.