Brush with Carved Design (1573–1619): Art, History and Details

Brush with Carved Design (1573–1619) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

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.

Object facts

• Title: Brush with Carved Design
• Date: 1573–1619
• Culture: China, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Wanli mark and reign (1573-1619)
• Type: Wood
• Technique: carved bamboo
• Dimensions: Overall: 24.2 cm (9 1/2 in.); Handle: 21 cm (8 1/4 in.); Top: 16.8 cm (6 5/8 in.)
• Collection: China - Ming Dynasty
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 1967.194

A detail from the museum

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

Collection credit

Anonymous Gift

Further reading listed by the museum

• "Year in Review." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 54, no. 10 (December 1967): 302–346.
• 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.
• Chinese Paintings, Themes and Techniques. Cleveland, OH: the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1981.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.