Dish with a couple and phoenixes

China

Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

Not on view

This dish displays a romantic story known as Phoenixes Arriving for Flute Playing (chuixiao yinfeng). Nongyu, the daughter of Duke Mu of Qin State (reigned 659–21 B.C.) married a famous flute (xiao) player. According to this legend, the couple spent all their time practicing the flute. After several years, even phoenixes came to listen to their music. One day, the couple rode away on the phoenixes and never returned.

Dish with a couple and phoenixes, Porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware), China

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Dish with a couple and phoenixes, Porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware), China
Dish with a couple and phoenixes, Porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware), China

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.