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Artist:
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Kuo Shang-hsien
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Title:
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Wristrest in the Shape of a Chin (Lute)
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Date:
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early 19th century
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Medium:
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"Dragon's eye" wood (lung yan mu) and ivory
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Dimensions:
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1 x 9 11/16 x 1 7/8 in. (2.54 x 24.61 x 4.76 cm)
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Credit Line:
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Gift of Ruth and Bruce Dayton
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Location:
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Gallery 217
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This wristrest is beautifully crafted in the shape of a ch'in or Chinese lute, an instrument long associated with the literati and a symbol of antiquity and scholarship. The craftsmen used lung-yan timber from Fukien province. This wood is famous for its "tiger stripe" graining while the form is further enhanced by a row of thirteen ivory inlays resembling the markers on an actual qin.
The top of the rest is carved with a poem by Kuo Shang-hsien in two five-character stanzas, which reads:
My home is without material wealth
The classics are its fertile fields.
Kuo Shang-hsien was a famous official and calligrapher from Pu-tian in Fukien. He was a scholar, painter, poet, and well-known calligrapher who held several official posts both in Peking and the provinces.
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Artist/Creator(s)
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Name:
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Shang-hsien, Kuo
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Role:
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Calligrapher
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Nationality:
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Chinese
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Life Dates:
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1785 - 1832
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Object Description
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Inscriptions:
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Classification:
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Woodwork
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Physical Description:
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small stand in the shape of a qin; 13 ivory circular inlays on top at one side; inlaid seal; four small legs; 10 characters on top
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Creation Place:
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, China, , ,
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Accession #:
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2006.47.1
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Owner:
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The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
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