Tray with scholars

China

Not on view

This dish depicts Chinese literati, or scholar-officials, engaging in leisure activities. In the foreground, three such men, identifiable by their clothing, travel on horseback toward a gate attended by two figures holding large fans. The trio in the middle ground examines a painting displayed by a pair of young attendants. The other scholars are either strolling in the garden, reading books, enjoying tea, or engaged in conversation.

Tray with scholars, Black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlay, China

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