Untitled

Unknown

18th century · Embroidered silk gauze · Asian Art

A rich array of vessels and objects in many media—such as bronze, ceramic, and carved rhinoceros horn—are depicted on this valance, which was likely meant for the front of a large table. The bronzes, especially the tall ceremonial wine vessel (gu), seen at the center of the middle group of objects on the lower panel, and the square four-legged ceremonial food vessel (fang ding) at the left, feature a naïve rendition of the mask decoration on archaic bronzes (which can be seen in the Galleries for the Arts of Ancient China downstairs). Ceramics are scattered throughout the valance: one at the lower left features a crackled glaze, a highly desirable effect among late Ming connoisseurs. The craft of carved rhinoceros horn is represented by the flaring cup seen at the lower right.

Artist

Unknown

Date

18th century

Medium

Embroidered silk gauze

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Bequest of William Christian Paul, 1929