清 碧玉蘭亭雅集圖筆筒|Brush holder with gathering at the Orchid Pavilion

Unknown

18th–19th century · Jade (nephrite) · Asian Art

Makers of decorative arts often embellished the surfaces of vessels with famous stories. This brush pot depicts the statesman and calligrapher Wang Xizhi and his friends assembling at Kuaiji in 353 CE to celebrate the spring purification festival by drinking wine and writing poems, an event known as the Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion. More than just an appealing landscape with figures, the decoration signaled that the owner of the brush holder understood and appreciated history.

Artist

Unknown

Date

18th–19th century

Medium

Jade (nephrite)

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Heber R. Bishop, 1902