Minneapolis Institute of Art

Octagonal Pillow

China

Date

late 12th–early 13th century

Medium

Cizhou ware Stoneware with brown and white slip decor

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

While octagonal head-rests were common during the Song and Jin dynasties, this example is distinguished by the calligraphy, written with white slip, which is a relatively rare technique. The fronds forming the fourteen character poem are executed in brown slip with particularly elegant brushstrokes. The poetic inscription reads: Spring drunkenness meets often with an overflow of flowers; Autumn chants face at length the graceful beauty of the moon. Pillows were typically inscribed with popular ballads, Confucian sayings, and poems. The inscriptions can be as short as one or two characters and as long as over a hundred characters. China, Asia

The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.