The Chinese have kept songbirds as pets since at least the Tang dynasty (7th century). To the Ming literati, birds, like crickets, provided a link to nature that was otherwise lacking in urban environments. As with cricket cages, the literati favored birdcages fashioned from organic materials, like the bamboo and boxwood used in this example. Each of the boxwood feeders features fine carvings of scholars in a landscape setting. Several carry inscriptions, including the artist's name and the date. The bronze hook was cast to simulate a bamboo shoot. Like hardwood furniture, this elegant cage was finished only with wax. It would have fit harmoniously into a scholar's study.