Covered Box in the Form of a Peach
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Object Label
The carved image on the top of the four-tiered box shows the Daoist immortal Dongfang Shuo stealing the magical Peaches of Immortality. He is depicted here as a long-bearded old man reaching up to pluck one of the peaches from the tree, perhaps in the garden of the mythological goddess, the Queen Mother of the West; he looks to the side, checking to make sure that no one is watching him. When eaten, these magic peaches were thought to confer immortality. The top of the box in the form of a peach depicts a Daoist immortal and his attendant, sailing on a long raft on turbulent waves, surrounded by a band of auspicious symbols of longevity and good fortune, including bats, peaches, and pomegranates.
Caption
Covered Box in the Form of a Peach, early 18th century. Carved lacquer, 4 1/8 x 6 1/2 in. (10.5 x 16.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. Andrew Cole, 79.252.1a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 79.252.1_overall_PS11.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Title
Covered Box in the Form of a Peach
Date
early 18th century
Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
Period
Yongzheng or Qianlong Period
Geography
Place made: China
Medium
Carved lacquer
Classification
Dimensions
4 1/8 x 6 1/2 in. (10.5 x 16.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Dr. Andrew Cole
Accession Number
79.252.1a-b
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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