Dish
Unknown Artist
18th century
Medium
Chalcedony-agate
Dimensions
H. 1 in. (2.5 cm); W. 2 3/8 in. (6 cm)
Classification
Hardstone
Culture
China
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Heber R. Bishop, 1902
Accession Number
02.18.894
Art Historical Context
This delicate 18th-century Chinese, carved from chalcedony-agate—a, banded variety of quartz—measures a modest 1 inch (2.5 cm) in height and 2 3/8 inches (6 cm) in width. Now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art collection, it was generously gifted by Heber R. Bishop in 2. Its petite scale and smooth, lustrous surface highlight the precision of traditional hardstone carving, a technique prized in Qing dynasty China for transforming resilient stone into elegant, functional objects. Chalcedony-agate's natural veining and subtle colors made it a favorite medium among imperial works...