The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 5, 2024

Clip for Paper with Sage Seated Under a Pine

Clip for Paper with Sage Seated Under a Pine

1600s or 1700s
(Chinese, active 1600s)
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
carved bamboo
Overall: 9.5 cm (3 3/4 in.)
Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1977.8
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Pu Zhongqian was considered a master bamboo carver.

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, brush holders, water droppers, ink cakes, miniature mountains, and albums, all ranging in material from jade, gilt bronze, lacquer, and wood to porcelain.
  • ?–1964
    Sir Percival David [1892–1964], London, England, by descent to his wife Lady David
    1964–1976?
    Lady Sheila Jane Yorke Hardy David [1914–?], London, England
    14 December 1976
    (Sotheby's, London, 14 December, 1976, lot 234, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1977–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Sotheby's London. Early Chinese Ceramics; Sung, Ming and Ch'ing Wares; Lacquer; Works of Art. December 14, 1976. Lot 234.
    Ip, Yee, and Laurence C. S. Tam. Chinese Bamboo Carving [中國竹刻藝術 = Zhongguo Zhu Ke Yi Shu]. Hong Kong: Urban Council, 1978. Reproduced: cat. no. 22, p. 171, pl. 10
    Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1977.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 65, no. 1 (1978): 2–42. Mentioned: no. 135, p. 42 www.jstor.org
    Williams, Marjorie. Chinese Painting--an Escape from the "Dusty" World. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1981. Reproduced: fig. 42, p. 61
    Wang, Shixiang, and Wango H. C. Weng. Bamboo Carving of China. New York: China House Gallery, China Institute in America, 1983. Reproduced: cat. no. 4
  • 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).
    Year in Review: 1977. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 28, 1977-January 22, 1978).
  • {{cite web|title=Clip for Paper with Sage Seated Under a Pine|url=false|author=Pu Zhongqian|year=1600s or 1700s|access-date=05 May 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1977.8