Brushpot with carved designs of scholars in a landscape
China, unknown artist, Brushpot with carved designs of scholars in a landscape, 15th/16th century, carved bamboo root, Museum Purchase: Funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Bruce M. Stevenson, public domain, 81.69
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
Brushpot with carved designs of scholars in a landscape
- Artist
- Date
15th/16th century
- Period
China: Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
- Medium
carved bamboo root
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
5 1/2 in x 3 3/4 in
- Collection Area
Asian Art
- Category
Artist's Materials and Tools
- Object Type
brush pot
- Culture
Chinese
- Credit Line
Museum Purchase: Funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Bruce M. Stevenson
- Accession Number
81.69
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
The brushpot is carved from the bottom-most sections of a length of timber bamboo, which is a flattened oval in cross section and shows evidence of irregular growth in the scarlike divisions between the sections. A depiction of a grotto has been deeply carved into one of the two flattened sides. Surrounded by overarching pines, the grotto almost appears to be a natural cleft in the bamboo. Inside, a scholar sits writing at a table, with an inkstone beside him, while at the entrance a young attendant holds a crane, a symbol of Daoist reclusiveness and immortality.
- Exhibitions
1993 The Floating World Revisited Portland Art Museum; Cleveland Museum of Art
