清 紫檀百寳嵌封神故事圖食盒|Picnic basket with scene from Investiture of the Gods

Unknown

19th century · Hardwood (zitan) inlaid with mother-of-pearl and soapstone · Asian Art

The decorative designs on this box attest to the popular taste for the fantastical and the auspicious. Its cover displays an exciting scene from the sixteenth-century mythological novel Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi). The fairy at the top left corner sends out magic scissors to cut her enemy; in the story he escapes, but his deer is less fortunate.

Artist

Unknown

Date

19th century

Medium

Hardwood (zitan) inlaid with mother-of-pearl and soapstone

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Willaim Corbus, 1977