Kneeling Boy, Fragment (1500s): Art, History and Details

Kneeling Boy, Fragment (1500s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

In the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), luxury items became more affordable to larger parts of the society, including women, merchants, and literati in non-official positions. Imperial patronage and a growing urban population encouraged consumption of luxury goods and local craftmanship. This ivory illustrates the superb carving skills and the creative mind of the skilled artisan who sought clients on a competitive market.

Object facts

• Title: Kneeling Boy, Fragment
• Date: 1500s
• Culture: China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
• Type: Ivory
• Technique: ivory
• Dimensions: Overall: 11 cm (4 5/16 in.)
• Collection: China - Ming Dynasty
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 1989.329

Collection credit

Bequest of Mrs. Severance A. Millikin

Further reading listed by the museum

• Catalogue of the Severance and Greta Millikin Collection. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1990.

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.