Snuff Bottle, 1750-1850
Unknown artist, Chinaexpand_more
Jade, rose quartzexpand_more
Gift of Mrs. Augustus L. Searleexpand_more 36.6.2a-c
On View in Gallery 216expand_more
Beneath a crescent moon, a woman sits at the bow of a fisherman’s boat in a river, playing a stringed instrument called a pipa. The scene comes from a famous Chinese narrative poem called “The Song of the Pipa Player,” composed by the poet Bai Juyi in 816 CE. In the poem, a man encounters this pipa player and expresses the sadness he feels when he hears her play her melancholy song. The bottle’s creamy white color is reminiscent of the moonlight mentioned in the poem:
We drank with depressed heart,
Seeing my friends off while the moonlight bathed in the river.
Suddenly the pipa sounds drifting to our ears from a neighboring boat,
My guests forgot to leave and I knew not where we were.
Details
- Title
- Snuff Bottle
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 36.6.2a-c
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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