Dish, anonymous, c. 1875 - c. 1899
The book Gengzhitu (Illustrations of Rice and Silk Culture) was written by the scholar Lou Shou (1090-1162) in the period of the Song dynasty (960-1279). Emperor Kangxi (r. 1661-1722) of the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) used an adapted form of the book as political propaganda, with himself as the model ruler of the country. This illustration is from a deluxe edition that he had made. The man carrying a basket refers to the emperor.