Art Institute of Chicago
Covered Box with Butterflies, Gourds, and Scrolling Vines
China
- Date
- Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Yongzheng (1723–35) or early Qianlong period (1736–95), 18th century
- Medium
- Carved cinnabar lacquer on wood
- Culture
- China
- Department
- Arts of Asia
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
This vessel plays upon a rebus: the words for “butterfly” and “gourd” together allude to the wish for innumerable generations of sons and grandsons. The image of fruit-bearing stems visually reinforces this ideal, which was highly valued in traditional Confucian society. Butterflies with beautifully contoured wings flutter amid red, orange, and pale green gourds, melons, pumpkins, or squash. The lobed fruits are decorative rather than botanically specific; together, they grow from gracefully trailing stems with large palmette leaves and elegantly curled tendrils.
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Linked open data
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- Object type
- AAT300193015
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