Title
Jar with Scenes of Frolicking Monkeys, 1302. Creator: Unknown.
Caption
Jar with Scenes of Frolicking Monkeys, 1302. To make this vessel, a wooden form was covered with successive layers of lacquer, the clear sap of the highly toxic Rhus verniciflua tree. This time-consuming process requires each layer to dry before adding another. Lacquer was, therefore, an expensive status symbol; aristocrats prized lacquered architectural features, furniture, musical instruments, and serving vessels. This jar is particularly noteworthy as the only surviving lacquer jar with a narrative scene from the period, showing a family of monkeys trying to cross a river at the bottom.
Credit line
Photo12/Heritage Images/Heritage Art
Reference
HRM19F88_417
Model release
NA
Property release
NA
License type
Rights managed
Available size
54,1Mb (1,8Mb) / 13,4in x 15,7in / 4022 x 4700 (300dpi)