Dish

Unknown

ca. 1700 · Hard-paste porcelain · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Small compositions of birds and trees or flowers are a mainstay of Japanese painting. They often carry seasonal or literary associations. This grouping of birds, a rock, and the Three Friends (a Chinese literati theme) relates to Chinese traditions and symbolism of the plum for forbearance (as it blossoms in early spring), the bamboo for flexible strength, and the pine for venerability but still retains the Japanese lyrical approach to the natural world.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1700

Medium

Hard-paste porcelain

Culture

Japanese, for European market

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

The Hans Syz Collection, Gift of Stephan B. Syz and John D. Syz, 1995