Writing Box with Chinese Poet Su Dongpo and Attendant

Writing Box with Chinese Poet Su Dongpo and Attendant

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This writing box depicts one of the most famous poets and statesmen in Chinese history, Su Dongpo (also known as Su Shi, 1037–1101). He is often represented riding on the back of a donkey, a poor man’s conveyance and a symbol of the eremitic life of a scholar-poet. His young attendant is holding a gourd presumably filled with wine, which also helps identify the figure as Su Dongpo, who was also famed for his consumption of this beverage. The lush and detailed surface of this box was created by burnishing sprinkled gold and silver powders to achieve a smooth surface, a technique known as togidashimaki-e.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Writing Box with Chinese Poet Su Dongpo and AttendantWriting Box with Chinese Poet Su Dongpo and AttendantWriting Box with Chinese Poet Su Dongpo and AttendantWriting Box with Chinese Poet Su Dongpo and AttendantWriting Box with Chinese Poet Su Dongpo and Attendant

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.