Rectangular Box with Scene of a Reception

China

Not on view

The scene represented on this box is the arrival of guests at a grand reception. The host and hostess are seated in the reception hall at the upper right of the composition, which resembles that of a traditional Chinese-style horizontal or hanging scroll. A member of the household stands before the hosts, awaiting a messenger carrying a pink calling card. The guests, who are about to cross a stone bridge, are shown in the lower part of the painting. On their way to the reception, the guests will pass a group of musicians playing behind silk curtains. Most of the musical instruments they use are displayed in the case nearby.

Rectangular Box with Scene of a Reception, Red lacquer painted with lacquer and oil colors; basketry panels, China

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