明晚期 黑漆嵌螺鈿遊園賞樂圖菱形盤|Lozenge-Shaped Dish with Garden Scene

Unknown

late 16th–17th century · Black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlay and gold and silver foil · Asian Art

Chinese literati enjoying gardens became a common subject in the art of the late Ming period. Artists typically included stock figures based on woodblock prints, such as the musicians gathered in the pavilion on this dish. Here, the men play a mouth organ (sheng), a zither (zheng), and possibly clappers. One young attendant carries another type of zither (qin), suggesting that the two gentlemen outside the pavilion will be joining their fellow musicians.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 16th–17th century

Medium

Black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlay and gold and silver foil

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015