Cricket Cage

A plain ivory rim encloses the mouth of the unembellished gourd. On the ivory lid are two leonine creatures, one large, one small, both playing with a reticulated ivory ball. The central portion of the ivory lid is decorated with a reticulted geometical fret design. The eyes of both leonine creatures are inlaid with a dark material.

a=gourd; b=ivory lid; c= silk pouch decorated with shou characters in gold on blue lined in cream color silk with drawstring.

Historical period(s)
Qing dynasty, 19th century
Medium
Gourd, ivory
Dimensions
H x W: 14.4 x 6.5 cm (5 11/16 x 2 9/16 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1984.38.6a-c
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Container
Type

Cricket cage

Keywords
China, cricket, lion, playing, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), Robert Hatfield Ellsworth collection
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

A plain ivory rim encloses the mouth of the unembellished gourd. On the ivory lid are two leonine creatures, one large, one small, both playing with a reticulated ivory ball. The central portion of the ivory lid is decorated with a reticulted geometical fret design. The eyes of both leonine creatures are inlaid with a dark material.

a=gourd; b=ivory lid; c= silk pouch decorated with shou characters in gold on blue lined in cream color silk with drawstring.

Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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