The “two birds” design featuring a pair of birds among flowers was a popular motif in Chinese carved lacquer, particularly from the thirteenth to early fifteenth century. On this dish, artisans carved into the surface to reveal two peafowls flying amid lush, blossoming peonies. This design also became standard in other media, such as textiles and ceramics, produced by the imperial workshop of the early Ming dynasty.
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明永樂 雕漆剔紅孔雀牡丹紋盤
Title:Dish with peafowls and peonies
Period:Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Yongle mark and period (1403–24)
Date:early 15th century
Culture:China
Medium:Carved red lacquer
Dimensions:H. 1/8 in. (0.3 cm); Diam. 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm)； Diam. of foot 9 7/8 in. (25.1 cm)
Classification:Lacquer
Credit Line:Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015
Object Number:2015.500.1.29
Inscription: Inscribed: Da Ming Yongle nian zhi (made in the Yongle era of the great Ming)
大明永樂年製
[ Spink & Son Ltd. , London, until 1982; sold to Irving]; Florence and Herbert Irving , New York (1982–2015; donated to MMA)
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "East Asian Lacquer from the Florence and Herbert Irving Collection," November 22, 1991–February 23, 1992.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Defining Yongle, Imperial Art in Early Fifteenth-Century China," April 1–July 10, 2005.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Lacquer: An Introduction," December 4, 2007–May 11, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Cinnabar: The Chinese Art of Carved Lacquer," August 6, 2009–February 21, 2010.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Spirited Creatures: Animal Representations in Chinese Silk and Lacquer," October 21, 2017–July 22, 2018.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Masters and Masterpieces: Chinese Art from the Florence and Herbert Irving Collection," January 30, 2021–June 5, 2022.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Recasting the Past: The Art of Chinese Bronzes, 1100–1900," February 27, 2025–September 28, 2025.
Watt, James C. Y., and Barbara Brennan Ford. East Asian Lacquer: The Florence and Herbert Irving Collection. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1991, pp. 72–73, cat. no. 21.
Watt, James C. Y., and Denise Patry Leidy. Defining Yongle: Imperial Art in Early Fifteenth-Century China. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005, pp. 46–47, pl. 15.
Pengliang Lu. Recasting the Past: The Art of Chinese Bronzes, 1100–1900,. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2025, pp. 151, 278, fig. 75.
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