darker brown on top with reddish brown near bottom; flat, bottle-like shape; ovoid foot; identical moulded design on each side: large dancing figure, small clapping figure and large figure playing a flute

Flask with Figural Decoration, 550-577

Unknown artist, expand_more

This rare vessel is made in the form of a caravaner's water flask. It is moulded on each side in high relief with two central Asian musicians flanking a smaller central Asian dancer, the men all wearing belted tunics and baggy pants tucked into high boots. Central Asian musicians and entertainers arrived in China via the Silk Road during the sixth century and a wide interest in central Asian exoticism became an important feature of Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) culture. Several different musical styles including the hu xuan "nomadic whirl" are mentioned in the Sui Shu history of the Sui dynasty, and the excellent preservation of this vessel clearly shows the musicians with long curly hair and other foreign features playing the flute and clapping their hands in rhythmic gesture.

Details
Title
Flask with Figural Decoration
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2004.132.6
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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darker brown on top with reddish brown near bottom; flat, bottle-like shape; ovoid foot; identical moulded design on each side: large dancing figure, small clapping figure and large figure playing a flute