The Sumptuous Basket: Chinese Lacquer with Basketry Panels
奢华竹篮：中国漆器

Basketry in China, as in other parts of the world, began in the Neolithic era (ca. 6500–1700 BCE) as a response to the growing need for containers to hold grain and daily objects. Through the millennia, baskets occupied an important position in Chinese material culture. The use of lacquer in China is as old as that of baskets; but, the use of lacquer on basketry first appeared in the Eastern Han period (25–220 CE) for decorative purposes. This exhibition focused on a narrow but selective collection of forty lacquered baskets in varying designs and styles—including one Han-period reproduction—from the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties. From picnic baskets to sacrificial vessels, they demonstrated the elevation of a traditional folk craft to the highest level of luxury.