Wine Pot, Wine Cup and Folded Fan 19th century

This is *Wine Pot, Wine Cup and Folded Fan* by Yashima Gakutei, made in Japan in the 19th century, and now in the Metropolitan Museum. The print shows a careful arrangement of objects rendered in muted browns and tans, set against the cream of the paper. The composition is dominated by the rounded forms of the wine pot and cup, juxtaposed with the angular lines of the folded fan. Gakutei destabilizes traditional representation by flattening the pictorial space. This flattening rejects conventional perspective, and instead presents a surface where objects exist more as signs than as realistic depictions. The intricate patterns adorning the wine pot are not merely decorative but serve as visual cues, inviting interpretation. Calligraphic inscriptions are integrated, functioning as both text and image, further complicating the interplay between seeing and reading. This visual language operates almost semiotically, where each element — the curve of the pot, the inscription, the pattern — contributes to a larger cultural discourse around ritual, aesthetics, and the consumption of art. It offers a rich field for ongoing interpretation.