Minneapolis Institute of Art

Basin

China

Date

early 17th century

Medium

Pewter with gilt and brass decoration

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Large metal washbasins supported on wooden stands must have been common in prosperous Ming dynasty households. This one, with its shaped flange rim and gilt decorated interior, is rather luxurious. The rim is embellished with a variety of potted flowers while the floor of the vessel is decorated with a gilded scene of a lady, her maid, and a gentleman in a garden-like setting. The figures seem to float on clouds amongst flowering trees and terraced pavilions. Through the center an arched tree appears sprouted with several cloud-shaped sacred fungi called ling-chih , a plant symbolic of immortality. China, Asia

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