Rock landscape with rectangular planter "Floating Bridge of Dreams" (Yume-no-ukihashi)

late 13th–early 14th century

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

This miniature landscape display is said to have been a personal favorite of the Japanese emperor Go-Daigo (r. 1318–39), who gave it the name Yume-no-ukihashi, or “Floating Bridge of Dreams,” the title of the last chapter of the classic Japanese novel The Tale of Genji. The rock was recorded as being from Jiangsu, China, while the planter is an elegant example of archaistic Chinese bronzes featuring entwined dragons. This connection to the Japanese emperor further demonstrates such archaistic bronzes’ importance in Japan.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

元　盆石“夢浮橋”
Title: Rock landscape with rectangular planter "Floating Bridge of Dreams" (Yume-no-ukihashi)
Period: Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)
Date: late 13th–early 14th century
Culture: China
Medium: Rock, copper alloy, lacquered wood
Dimensions: Rock: H. 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm); L. 11 7/16 in. (29.1 cm)
Planter: H. 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm); W. 4 5/16 in. (11 cm); L. 14 5/16 in. (36.4 cm)
Classification: Metalwork
Credit Line: Lent by Tokugawa Art Museum
Curatorial Department: Asian Art