Art Institute of Chicago

Pilgrim Flask (Bian Hu)

China

Date

Sui (581–618) or early Tang dynasty (618–907), c. late 6th/7th century

Medium

Stoneware with mold-impressed decoration under yellowish-brown lead glaze

Culture

China

Department

Arts of Asia

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The flat sides of this canteen-shaped container depict a youthful dancer and a musician who perform above a pair of romping lions. In their costumes and facial features, these performers resemble figures depicted in ancient Hellenistic art. The clarity of their features is partially obscured by a thickly applied glaze, as well as by the dense background of undulating foliage, floral heads, and grapevines. Some of these designs clearly derive from Central Asian metalwork. They may have been transmitted to China as decorative motifs on imported objects or alternatively, as background patterns on Buddhist images that were brought to China or created in China from Central Asian prototypes.

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