清 嵌螺鈿山水人物圖鑞壺|Wine pot with figures in a landscape

Unknown

18th century · Gold lacquer over pewter, inlaid with mother-of-pearl · Asian Art

While lacquer on metal is an aspect of the revival of metalworking in China during the seventeenth century, the combination of thin, tinted pieces of mother-of-pearl with gold foil derives from refinements in lacquer technology that can be dated somewhat earlier, to the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. An inscription on the base of this pot indicates that it was produced by, or under the supervision of, an artist named Shang Yiliang. Although details of his identity remain unclear, Shang is one of a handful of metal artists who signed their works. It is reasonable to assume that his work was well regarded, and probably collected, during his lifetime.

Artist

Unknown

Date

18th century

Medium

Gold lacquer over pewter, inlaid with mother-of-pearl

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929