Yü Hao-sung (active 18th century)
Tea Caddy, about 1700
Pewter , 9.7 x 7.7 cm (3 13/16 x 3 1/16 in.)
General admission for children 17 years and under is always free
This is a pewter Japanese tea caddy from about 1700. This urn-shaped vessel sits on a wide base and flares outward slightly and has a plain shoulder and lid. An outdoor scene is etched on one side of the caddy. This scene depicts a small wooden structure towards the center that is surrounded by trees on either side and a stream in the foreground. On the right-hand side of the scene there large mountains which tower over the structure and cloud formations wisping towards the left-hand side of the composition, over the trees and wooden structure and towards the moon on the extreme left. The opposite side of the urn is etched with Japanese characters that read, “with its note the reed-pipe seems to have emitted the moon over the mountain summit.”
Short Gallery
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.