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Each of the four sides of this miniature vase is painted in underglaze cobalt blue depicting female figures. The serene scenes appear on the trapezoidal surfaces of the flat sides, which widen at the shoulder and taper to the square foot. Women stand along the fence of a garden as they pick flowers beneath the shade of overhanging trees. On the slanted shoulders is painted appropriately the Taoist Emblem of Lan Cai Ho (patron of florists) the Flower Basket surrounded by floral scrolls. It can be speculated that this bottle was made for export to Holland by way of the East India Trading Company because of the silver cover and stopper-holder. A hallmark of the silversmith can be found on these silver additions that are incised with vines and floral designs.
Chinese
H: 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm)
medium: porcelain with underglaze blue and Dutch silver lid
culture: Chinese
dynasty: Qing Dynasty
reign: Kangxi (1662-1722)
by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
Attributed to the artist Gakuō, this painting has a spurious seal of the influential Shōkokuji temple monk-painter Tenshō Shūbun (died about 1444–50), with whom he is said to have trained. Gakuō may have hailed from Ise in present-day Wakayama prefecture, an area south of Kyoto in the Kansai region. Although not much is known about his life, inscriptions on some of his paintings indicate strong ties with eminent monks in Kyoto’s major Zen temples.
Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573)
hanging scroll; ink on paper
Mounted: 131.8 x 44.2 cm (51 7/8 x 17 3/8 in.)
Gift from the Collection of George Gund III
According to the Gospel of Matthew, three Magi, guided by a star, found the newborn Christ and laid gifts before him. Artists throughout the 15th century elaborated considerably upon this biblical account, devoting particular attention to the Magi’s entourage, which gave them an opportunity to depict the splendor of contemporary aristocratic life. Here, the Magi solemnly honor the divine child in the Virgin’s arms, while their bustling retinue of courtiers and animals provides an exuberant visual diversion. Di Paolo was one of the leading painters in 15th-century Siena, noted both for his manuscript illuminations and painted panels supplied to the city’s churches.
Italy, Siena
tempera and gold on wood panel
Framed: 52.5 x 59 x 7.5 cm (20 11/16 x 23 1/4 x 2 15/16 in.); Unframed: 38.4 x 44.3 cm (15 1/8 x 17 7/16 in.)
Delia E. Holden and L. E. Holden Funds
Japanese
2 9/16 x 2 7/16 in. (6.5 x 6.2 cm)
medium: lacquer, wood, coral
culture: Japanese
Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.