2015.38.3, wood box with porcelain shard lid, purchased 2001
Private collection; photo by T. Ocken
2015.38.3, wood box with porcelain shard lid, purchased 2001
Private collection; photo by T. Ocken
During the darkest months of the Cultural Revolution, one favorite activity of the Red Guards was smashing antique porcelain vases. After the Cultural Revolution had run its course, enterprising individuals recovered shards of the ancient porcelain pieces, smoothed the edges, and turned the shards into lids for boxes. The wood box shown above was purchased in San Francisco's Chinatown in 2001. It measures 6 1/2 inches (16 cm) across.
The surviving portion of the scene shows a child dangling a spider. A cat (whose ears are barely visible at the lower left corner) watches intently. We're not sure how old the original vase was, but have been given guesses that it came from the Ming (1368–1644) or Qing (1644–1912) dynasty.
To see a second example of a box with a porcelain shard lid, please click
on the image that follows.
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