Cover of shawl box
The collection consists of one (1) painting on silk by an unknown artist. It may have originally been the cover of a shawl box. The painting depicts a bird, possibly a magpie, surrounded by red and orange peonies and green leaves, all surrounded by a brilliant blue square bank of leaves with a peony in each corner. The painting is bordered by an embroidered band of stylized floral designs in red silk.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
NAA MS 7418
NAA INV 10000079
USNM Accession 177182
USNM Catalog 385972
Information furnished by Emily Hoover, summer volunteer, Department of Anthropology, 1986.
Cover of a shawl box
Gift of Gertrude C. Park, October 30, 1947. Said by donor to have come from China in 1850. The collection was transferred from the object collections of the Department of Anthropology to the National Anthropological Archives by Chang-su Houchins, July 1986.
MS 7418 Chinese painting on silk, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
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