The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Brush with Carved Designs

Brush with Carved Designs

1573–1619
(1368-1644), Wanli mark and reign (1573-1619)
carved bamboo
Overall: 24.2 cm (9 1/2 in.); Handle: 21 cm (8 1/4 in.); Top: 16.8 cm (6 5/8 in.)
Anonymous Gift 1967.194.a
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The inscription on this brush with a bamboo cap reads: Made during the Wanli Era of the Great Ming [dynasty].

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 became also collectibles and were treasured as artworks.

A brush, like this one, was essential for both administrative tasks and for artistic creation. The bamboo brush handle and cap were carved in shallow relief with branches, leaves, birds, and flowers. The brush tip was made from fine white animal hairs.
  • ?–1967
    N. V. Hammer, New York, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1967-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • "Year in Review." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 54, no. 10 (1967): 302-46. Referenced: cat. no. 165, p. 347 www.jstor.org
    Hong Kong Museum of Art. Chinese Bamboo Carving: The 3rd Festival of Asian Arts Presented by the Urban Council. Exhibition 15.10.78-7.1.79. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: cat. no. 1, p. 127, pl. 1
    Chinese Paintings, Themes and Techniques. Cleveland, OH: the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1981. Reproduced: fig. 47, p. 66
    Wang, Shixiang, and Wango H. C. Weng. Bamboo Carving of China. New York, NY: China House Gallery, China Institute in America, 1983. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat no. 4
  • China's Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10, 2023-January 7, 2024).
    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).
    Scholar's Studio. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 19-December 17, 1989).
    Bamboo Carving of China. China House Gallery, China Institute in America, New York, NY (March 18-May 29, 1983); Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO (July 24-September 11, 1983); Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (October 3, 1983-January 15, 1984).
    Chinese Paintings: Themes and Techniques. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 7-April 5, 1981).
    Chinese Bamboo Carving. Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, China (organizer) (October 14, 1978-January 7, 1979).
  • {{cite web|title=Brush with Carved Designs|url=false|author=|year=1573–1619|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1967.194.a