Untitled

Unknown

dated to either 1674 or 1734 · Bamboo · Asian Art

The motif of a woman reading a letter is most likely based on a woodblock print illustrating a scene from a fourteenth-century play known as either The West Chamber or The Romance of the West Chamber. This play, which tells of the convoluted romance between a young scholar and a beautiful woman, is one of the most well known in Chinese history, and allusions to some of its more famous moments are often found in the visual arts.

Artist

Unknown

Date

dated to either 1674 or 1734

Medium

Bamboo

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Elizabeth M. Riley Bequest, in memory of Jean Mailey, 2006