The young women on the balcony of this wonderfully carved brush holder throw fruit to an attractive young man passing beneath them. He is most likely the extraordinarily handsome scholar Pan An (247–300), who often drew such attention. The cart pulled by a white goat, however, refers to another young man, Wei Jie (286–312), who was also known for his good looks but was not associated with fruit. The artist seems to have freely combined the tales of both men into a composite scene. Such images are often found in various decorative arts from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
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.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Side 4 of 4
Side 1 of 4
Side 2 of 4
Side 3 of 4
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
清 象牙雕擲果盈車圖筆筒
Title:Brush holder with the story of Pan An
Period:Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Date:18th century
Culture:China
Medium:Ivory
Dimensions:H. 5 5/8 in. (14.3 cm); Diam. of rim: 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm); Diam. of base: 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm)
Classification:Ivories
Credit Line:Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015
Object Number:2015.500.6.10
[ Spink & Son Ltd. , London, until 1985; sold to Irving]; Florence and Herbert Irving , New York (1985–2015; donated to MMA)
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Lacquer," July 18–November 14, 2005.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Excellence and Elegance: Decorative Arts of the Eighteenth-Century Qing Court," August 25–November 25, 2007.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Lacquer: An Introduction," December 4, 2007–May 11, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Extravagant Display: Chinese Art in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries," December 14, 2010–May 1, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Art of Dissent in 17th-Century China: Masterpieces of Ming Loyalist Art from the Chih Lo Lou Collection," September 6, 2011–January 2, 2012.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Gardens: Pavilions, Studios, Retreats," August 18, 2012–January 6, 2013.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Treasury," 2014.
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.
Watt, James C. Y., Leidy, Denise Patry, and Wai-fong Anita Siu. "Chinese Decorative Arts." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, n.s., 55, no. 1 (Summer 1997). p. 44.
Hearn, Maxwell K. "Introduction: The Florence and Herbert Irving Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art." Arts of Asia 45, no. 6 (November–December 2015). pp. 67–75, fig. 2.
Leidy, Denise Patry. "Extraordinary Things: The Florence and Herbert Irving Galleries for Chinese Decorative Arts." Orientations 46, no. 2 (March 2015). pp. 179–83, fig. 3.
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world.
