Period:Qing (1644–1911) dynasty
Date:dated to either 1674 or 1734
Culture:China
Medium:Bamboo
Dimensions:H. 8 1/8 in. (20.6 cm); W. 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm); D. 1/2 in. (1.3 cm)
Classification:Bamboo
Credit Line:Purchase, Elizabeth M. Riley Bequest, in memory of Jean Mailey, 2006
Accession Number:2006.237
The motif of a woman reading a letter is most likely based on a woodblock print illustrating a scene from a fourteenth-century play known as either The West Chamber or The Romance of the West Chamber. This play, which tells of the convoluted romance between a young scholar and a beautiful woman, is one of the most well known in Chinese history, and allusions to some of its more famous moments are often found in the visual arts.