元末明初 剔黑三國故事圖漆盤一對|Pair of dishes with scenes from Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Unknown

late 14th century · Carved red and black lacquer · Asian Art

The narrative scenes on this pair of dishes probably derive from woodblock-print illustrations of the popular Chinese historical novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguo Yanyi). One vignette depicts General Liu Bei and his two sworn brothers at the house of Zhuge Liang, the scholar and strategist who helped Liu win many battles and found the Shu State during the Three Kingdoms period (220–65). The scene on the other dish has yet to be identified.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 14th century

Medium

Carved red and black lacquer

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015