Collection record · Everyday wonders
Jar with Scenes of Frolicking Xingxing
The collection record classifies this work as lacquer. It is dated 1302. Recorded culture or place: Japan, Kamakura period (1185–1333).
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A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Jar with Scenes of Frolicking Xingxing
- Date
- 1302
- Culture / origin
- Japan, Kamakura period (1185–1333)
- Materials and technique
- Zelkova wood, covered with hemp cloth and colored lacquer, and bronze-plated wood fittings
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 47.2 cm (18 9/16 in.); Overall: 49.4 cm (19 7/16 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1984.8
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
This jar features a design of a monkey-like animal ladling sake into his mouth from a vessel bobbing in waves, along with others trying on sandals and crossing a river. In the 1300s, Chinese literature was a powerful source of inspiration for artistic practice in Japan, and this scene was inspired by the exploits of the mythical xingxing, a beast of ancient Chinese lore for whom people left straw sandals and wine. The xingxing would then recite the names of the ancestors of those who had left them the gifts.
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Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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