Box with “peach-blossom grotto”

China

Not on view

Three Chinese characters incised on a rectangular piece of shell at upper right identify the scene on this box as the “peach-blossom grotto” (tao yuan dong). The phrase refers to a famous poem by Tao Qian (365–427) in which a fisherman enters a grotto and stumbles upon Shangri-la. As is invariably the case with such magical realms, once the man leaves the cave he is never able to return.

#7403. Box with "Peach Blossom Grotto"

0:00
0:00

    Playlist

  1. 7403. Box with "Peach Blossom Grotto"
  2. 9726. Kids: Box with "Peach Blossom Grotto"
View Transcript
Box with “peach-blossom grotto”, Black lacquer with inlaid mother-of-pearl, China

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Box with “peach-blossom grotto”, Black lacquer with inlaid mother-of-pearl, China
Box with “peach-blossom grotto”, Black lacquer with inlaid mother-of-pearl, China
Box with “peach-blossom grotto”, Black lacquer with inlaid mother-of-pearl, China

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.