Chinese Man with Parasol, Rattle and Box
19th century
Medium
Watercolor and gouache
Dimensions
sheet: 14 9/16 x 8 9/16 in. (37 x 21.7 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William M. Lybrand, 1942
Accession Number
42.33.49
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate 19th-century Chinese drawing, *Chinese Man with Parasol Rattle and Box*, captures a poised male figure holding everyday yet evocative objects: a parasol for shade and status, a rattle likely used as a percussion instrument, a small box, perhaps for carrying belongings. Created anonymously by a Chinese artist using watercolor and gouache on paper (14 9/16 x 8 9/16 in.), it exemplifies the fine, vibrant techniques of traditional Chinese figure painting. Watercolor provides translucent layers for subtle shading, while gouache adds opaque, jewel-like intensity to clothing and accesso...