The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

Ink Cake with Architectural Design

1736–95

China, Qing dynasty

(1644-1911), Qianlong inscription, mark, and reign (1736-95)
molded ink
Overall: 2.4 x 13.4 cm (15/16 x 5 1/4 in.)
Gift of Henry W. Kent 1942.212
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

To make liquid ink, an ink cake is ground against an inkstone with a small quantity of water.

Description

In China, access to political power was granted to those who passed the civil service examinations, a system that offered official service only at a high level of education. Chinese literati-officials, whose daily routine involved administrative work in an office, enjoyed precious objects on their writing desks that offered distraction and demonstrated good taste. By the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties, these utensils of the literati studio also became collectibles and were treasured as artworks.
  • ?–1942
    Henry W. Kent [1866–1948], New York, NY and Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1942–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Hollis, Howard. “A Gift of Chinese Inks.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 33, no. 1, 1946, pp. 3–11. www.jstor.org
  • China through the Magnifying Glass: Masterpieces in Miniature and Detail. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 11, 2022-February 26, 2023).
    Chaekgeori: Pleasure of Possessions in Korean Painted Screens. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (August 5-November 5, 2017).
    History of The Chinese Book. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (organizer) (April 1-May 15, 1967).
  • {{cite web|title=Ink Cake with Architectural Design|url=false|author=|year=1736–95|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1942.212