Page 7 - Chinese Decorative Arts: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 55, no. 1 (Summer, 1997)

Silver Service

Song dynasty, 960-1279
silver,parcelgilt
Diam. 43/8-71/2 in. (11.1-19.1 cm)
The
Purchase, VincentAstor Foundation 1997
Gft,
1997.33.1-6
uring the Song dynasty silver service decorative arts only in the late eleventh cen-
was used mainly for formal entertaining. tury. The single trace of an earlier tradition,
This set of two plates, two small bowls, and a going back to the Tang dynasty, is the use of
large bowl with a stand is likely to have been gilding over the areas of the designs.
produced in one of the cities along the lower JCYW
reaches of the Yangzi (Yangtse) River. These
prosperous cities had become centers for the
manufacture of luxury goods since the begin-
ning of the dynasty. The Metropolitan's ves-
sels share common shapes with Song pieces in
porcelain and lacquer. The flower-and-bird
decoration, in chased and punched work, is
in a pure Chinese manner. Particularly note-
worthy is the prominence of bamboo in the
ornament, as this plant became popular in the
6