About the Artwork
Above an inlaid bank of bamboo and reeds, nine cranes fly amid scattered clouds of incised gold. The central scene is framed by four dragons within elongated windows set against a diaper-patterned ground composed of coins. These symbols invoke a blessing of long life (cranes), power (dragons who command the clouds), and wealth (coins).
Tray with Design of Cranes in Flight
17th century
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Japanese
Ryukyuan
Lacquer, wood, mother-of-pearl, and gold
Overall: 1 3/8 × 11 3/4 × 11 3/4 inches (3.5 × 29.8 × 29.8 cm)
Lacquer
Asian Art
Founders Society Purchase with funds from Mrs. Howard J. Stoddard and Mr. and Mrs. Stanford C. Stoddard
1987.32
Public Domain
Markings
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Provenance
(Klaus F. Naumann, Tokyo, Japan);1987-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
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Provenance pageExhibition History
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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.
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Suggest FeedbackPublished References
Bulletin of the DIA 64, no. 2/3 (1988): p. 23, (fig. 16) (ill.).
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Credit Line for Reproduction
Ryukyuan, Japanese, Tray with Design of Cranes in Flight, 17th century, lacquer, wood, mother-of-pearl, and gold. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase with funds from Mrs. Howard J. Stoddard and Mr. and Mrs. Stanford C. Stoddard, 1987.32.
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