Dish with three heroes from Water Margin
Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Kangxi mark and period (1662–1722)
Not on view
Cartouches at these figures’ hips name them as heroes from the classic novel Water Margin (Shuihu Zhuan), which recounts the resistance of a gang of outlaws to the corrupt Song government in the early twelfth century. First published in the mid-sixteenth century, the novel was popular and remained so through the modern period. Figures and scenes from the novel became important sources in the art of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
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