清晚期 剔紅瓜瓞綿延圖盒|Pair of boxes with melons and butterflies

Unknown

19th century · Carved red lacquer · Asian Art

The combination of melons and butterflies is a pun on an old idiom that expresses a wish for many offspring, like melons on vines. This encoded meaning makes this pair of boxes a likely gift for a wedding.

Artist

Unknown

Date

19th century

Medium

Carved red lacquer

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

John Stewart Kennedy Fund, 1913