Brick with Banquet Scene in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2017

Brick with Banquet Scene


Object Details

Period: Eastern Han dynasty (25–220)

Culture: China

Medium: Earthenware

Dimensions: H. 14 15/16 in. (38 cm); W. 17 5/8 in. (44.7 cm); Th. 2 3/8 in. (6 cm); Wt. 44.8 lbs (20.3 kg)

Classification: Sculpture

Credit Line: Lent by Sichuan Provincial Museum


This brick presents a scene of a luxury banquet with multiple entertainments. At the top right are a juggler and an acrobat. A lady with long sleeves dances at the bottom right, while a clumsy figure opens his arms to catch her. Two musicians sit behind the dancers. At top left, the host and hostess sit with tripods of wine before them, enjoying the performances. Simple but lively, these reliefs provide insight into the Han lifestyle, a time from which few other pictorial materials have survived.


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/640968