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Dish with children playing in a garden

13th century
Not on view
The theme of children at play, which expresses a wish for the birth of children and the concomitant joys they engender, is a ubiquitous motif in Chinese decorative arts from as early as the tenth century. Some of the figures seen on this dish—for example, the two boys at left, one riding a hobbyhorse and the other holding a lotus leaf—are a stock figural grouping, appearing on art objects until the seventeenth century. The cluster of leafy palms with rocks and the balustrade enclosing a lotus pond are standard features of Chinese garden designs.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 南宋 庭園嬰戯圖銀盤
  • Title: Dish with children playing in a garden
  • Period: Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279)
  • Date: 13th century
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Silver with repoussé decoration and gilding
  • Dimensions: H. 3/4 in. (1.9 cm); Diam. 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm); Diam. of foot 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Gift, in honor of Brooke Astor's one-hundredth birthday, 2002
  • Object Number: 2002.180
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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