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Dish with long-tailed birds and hibiscuses

Attributed to Zhang Cheng Chinese
mid-14th century
Not on view
Several features help date this remarkable dish to the fourteenth century. Two birds circle one another playfully in a composition suited to the circular shape. The lush hollyhock blossoms, shown from multiple perspectives, have petals of different sizes that overlap to suggest depth. Long, narrow leaves fill at least three layers of carving, adding to the richness of the surface. The unworked dark background seen here is more commonly found in earlier carved lacquers.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 元　張成款雕漆剔紅綬帶秋葵紋盤
  • Title: Dish with long-tailed birds and hibiscuses
  • Artist: Attributed to Zhang Cheng (active mid-14th century)
  • Period: Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)
  • Date: mid-14th century
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Carved red lacquer
  • Dimensions: H. 1/8 in. (0.3 cm); Diam. 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm)
  • Classification: Lacquer
  • Credit Line: Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, in honor of James C. Y. Watt, 2011
  • Object Number: 2011.120.1
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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