Spoon, one of a set of six (one missing)

The mark, which reads xiezhu zhuren zao ("produced by the lord of bamboo"), has been identified as that of a private studio of the Daoguang period and has been found on bowls painted with landscapes or figures (Geng 1993: 390). Five spoons with this mark in the Asian Art Museum collection are identical in shape and design. The dishes belonging to the same table set as these spoons were published from a private collection in Taibei (The ROC Society 1990: 136). The motif of the bat, hovering around the cherry sprigs, was painted in red, green, and brown with black outlines. The eight small spur marks left rough on the bottom are an unusual feature.