Foliated square dish with peonies

Object Details

• Label

  This dish displays masterful lacquer carving in a design executed on two spatial levels. The repeated use of overlapping elements and the ribbed rim of the dish suggest its manufacture in the second half of the fourteenth century, but because this style spans the transition between the Yuan (1279-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties, the precise date of the carving is difficult to ascertain.

  The classic scroll pattern on the underside of the dish is a typical Yuan dynasty feature, but the exceptionally dense peony design fits comfortably with early-Ming lacquer wares. An unusual note of naturalism in the image is the arrangement of the many peony blossoms that appear to branch out from a thick, woody stem of the tree-peony plant rooted at the bottom edge of the dish.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  The Arts of China (November 18, 1990 to September 7, 2014)

  Pavilions and Immortal Mountains: Chinese Decorative Art and Paintings (September 28, 1987 to February 28, 1988)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1300s

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Art, Peony, Chinese Art, Lacquer, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)