Silver raft of “Zhang Qian riding a raft” with Zhu Bishan’s mark, Yuan to Ming dynasty (1271-1644)-China Archive

Image Number: C1D000100N000000000PAE
Dynasty: Yuan dynasty
Category: Miscellaneous objects
Function: Furnishings
Material: Minerals/Metals/Silver
Description:
This silver tenor is based on the story of Zhang Qian (? – 114 BC) of the Han Dynasty who visited the source of the river by tenor, met cowherd and weaver girl in Tianhe, and brought back Zhiji Stone. The utensil is made of natural hollow withered tree trunks (i.e. rafts), in which Zhang Qian, the master, sits. The overall shape is simple and restrained, the lines are smooth and concise, and the characters are vivid. It can also be seen from the seal inscriptions of “Bishanzi” and “Made in the Zhengyi Younian Period” (1345) on the bottom of the tool that this tool was probably made by the famous silver worker “Zhu Bishan” in Jiaxing of the Yuan Dynasty. Most of them were recorded in the late Ming Dynasty. For example, the Records of Gu Bu Gu (1526-1590) by Wang Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty recorded that Zhu was famous for smelting silver, and his works were “twice as expensive” as the famous craftsmen of different types of work at that time. It shows the pursuit of famous works in the market.