Minneapolis Institute of Art

Pillow

China

Date

17th-18th century

Medium

Greenish-white nephrite

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This pillow is carved in the form of a crouching boy holding a bird in his left hand. Hard pillows, usually made of ceramic, were common in China and several pottery examples in the form of children—hopeful symbols of luck in Chinese culture—have survived from Song times (960-1280). Pillows of jade, however, are extremely rare, and given the precious nature of the material, this piece probably was a decorative object intended for display rather than use. Asia

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