Double Melon-Shaped Box
Five dynasties (907–960)
- Medium
- Yue ware; stoneware with underglaze carved and molded decoration
- Classification
- Vessel
- Dimensions
- 5.5 × 8.5 × 4.5 cm (2 3/16 × 3 3/8 × 1 3/4 in.)
- Culture
- China
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Asia
- Credit line
- Gift of Dorothy Braude Edinburg to the Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial Collection
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
The highly skilled Yaozhou potters often drew inspiration from nature. Yet this extremely playful lidded box, vividly crafted in the shape of two melons grown from a leafy vine, still stands out as a rare find. The box’s diminutive size and two internal compartments suggest that it was likely used as a cosmetic container on a lady’s dressing table. Characterized by its abundant seeds and winding vines, the melon was considered an auspicious symbol related to child-bearing and familial prosperity in traditional China. As a result, melon motifs frequently adorned everyday objects.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
