Vase

Attributed to Shisou Chinese

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 213

This elegant vase has a pear-shaped body with a squarish section, supported on a short splayed foot. Two handles in the shape of animal masks are attached to the sides of its neck, which is embellished with a band of stylized dragons inlaid in silver. On both the front and reverse sides of the vase is a line of poetry by the Tang-dynasty poet Dou Chang (746–825), also inlaid in silver, which reads: Sweeping the snow to plant flowers in the spring; burning the incense to read the classics at night. On the other two sides are silver-inlaid images of an egret and a three-legged toad, which is a symbol of wealth. A two-character mark of Shisou is executed in silver inlay on the exterior of the bottom. The vase is covered with a warm brown patina that bears no trace of being buried underground. Originally, this vessel would have served as a vase for flowers or for holding tongs and spatulas for the practice of incense burning.

Vase, Attributed to Shisou (Chinese, active first half the 17th century), Bronze, China

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Vase, Attributed to Shisou (Chinese, active first half the 17th century), Bronze, China
Vase, Attributed to Shisou (Chinese, active first half the 17th century), Bronze, China
Vase, Attributed to Shisou (Chinese, active first half the 17th century), Bronze, China

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