Cricket Cage

There are six vertical seams on the sides and square seams at the base of this gourd, resulting from molds. A plain ivory rim reinforces the top edge of the gourd. One large and two smaller lions appear on the lid of the piece. The eyes of the lions are inlaid with a darker material. Beneath the lions a geometric reticulated design decorates the ivory lid.

a=gourd; b=ivory and wood lid; c= silk pouch with yellow, brown, and red trellis design over stripe lined in green silk. This pouch is missing its drawstring.

Historical period(s)
Qing dynasty, 19th century
Medium
Gourd, ivory, tortoise shell
Dimensions
H x W: 16.2 x 7 cm (6 3/8 x 2 3/4 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1984.38.10a-c
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Container
Type

Cricket cage

Keywords
China, cricket, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), Robert Hatfield Ellsworth collection, WWII-era provenance
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

There are six vertical seams on the sides and square seams at the base of this gourd, resulting from molds. A plain ivory rim reinforces the top edge of the gourd. One large and two smaller lions appear on the lid of the piece. The eyes of the lions are inlaid with a darker material. Beneath the lions a geometric reticulated design decorates the ivory lid.

a=gourd; b=ivory and wood lid; c= silk pouch with yellow, brown, and red trellis design over stripe lined in green silk. This pouch is missing its drawstring.

Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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