Wrist rest with kingfisher and lotus
The pairing of the kingfisher bird and the lotus is symbolic of summer. The motif appears in paintings as well as in three-dimensional art. Rests such as this were used while writing or painting to support the wrist and ensure the proper placement of the brush.
Artwork Details
- 明 剔紅蓮池水禽紋臂擱
- Title: Wrist rest with kingfisher and lotus
- Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
- Date: 1368–1644
- Culture: China
- Medium: Carved red lacquer
- Dimensions: L. 9 in. (22.9 cm)
- Classification: Lacquer
- Credit Line: Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015
- Object Number: 2015.500.1.104
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Chinese
late 16th–early 17th century
Burma
ca. 13th–early 14th century
Chinese
1368–1644
Jean-François Oeben
and Roger Vandercruse, called Lacroix
ca. 1761–63
Chinese
1368–1644
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