Raft Cup
Zhu Bishan (Chinese, c. 1300–after 1362)
1300s–1400s
Medium
hammered silver soldered together, with chased decoration
Dimensions
h. 16 cm, l. 20.5 cm
Classification
Silver
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1977.7
Tags
male
About this artwork
The figure watching the stars is believed to be the messenger Zhang Qian (died 114 BCE). Legend says he lost his way in the Milky Way, where he met the Weaving Maid who gave him a stone from her loom. Zhang, in fact, holds a slab inscribed loom stone. The vessel is dated, inscribed, and has a seal of the silversmith Zhu Bishan, from Zhejiang province, who ran a workshop in the Lake Tai area near Suzhou. Zhu is one of the few Chinese silversmiths known by name, producing silverware so desirable t...