The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Horse

Horse

1600s
Overall: 3.4 cm (1 5/16 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The white jade surface of the horse has been brightly polished, but portions of the original stone's "skin" remain on the base and below the head.

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 was 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 became also collectibles and were treasured as artworks.

Desk objects included paper weights; seals and seal paste boxes; brush rests, wrist rests and brush holders; water droppers, ink cakes, miniature mountains, and albums, all ranging in material from jade, gilt bronze, lacquer, and wood to porcelain.
  • ?–1952
    Mrs. Dudley S. [Elizabeth Bingham] Blossom [1881–1970], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1952–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lee, Sherman E. “Chinese Carved Jades.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 41, no. 4 (April 1954): 67–71. Mentioned: p. 67 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).
    Meaning of Nature in Chinese Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 9-June 1, 1954).
  • {{cite web|title=Horse|url=false|author=|year=1600s|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1952.480