Pair of Boxes in Form of Lotus Leaves (1700s): Art, History and Details

Pair of Boxes in Form of Lotus Leaves (1700s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

In the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 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 fine-grained, light yellow ivory carved the the shape of a lotus leaf illustrates the superb carving skills and the creative mind of the talented artisan who sought clients on a competitive market.

Object facts

• Title: Pair of Boxes in Form of Lotus Leaves
• Date: 1700s
• Culture: China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
• Type: Ivory
• Technique: ivory
• Dimensions: Overall: 5.1 cm (2 in.)
• Collection: China - Qing Dynasty
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 1970.137

A detail from the museum

Inside each box is a lotus pond and two swimming ducks carved in high relief.

Collection credit

Gift of Lois Clarke

Further reading listed by the museum

• Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1970.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 58, no. 2 (1971): 22–71.
• Waston, William, ed. Chinese Ivories: From the Shang to the Qing : an Exhibition. [London]: The Oriental Ceramic Society, 1984.
• von Spee, Clarissa. “China through the Magnifying Glass: Miniature and small objects in detail.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 62, no. 4 (December 2022): 14-16.

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.