Tree Root (before 1800s): Art, History and Details

Tree Root (before 1800s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

Here, the twists and turns, ebb and flow of the natural form of the tree root can be interpreted as the energy that gives life and the endless transformations in the universe. The rugged appearance is appreciated for its association with the aesthetic concepts of eccentricity and archaism in Chinese art.

Object facts

• Title: Tree Root
• Date: before 1800s
• Culture: China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
• Type: Miscellaneous
• Technique: wood with carved base
• Dimensions: with base: 82 cm (32 5/16 in.)
• Collection: China - Qing Dynasty
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 2003.44

A detail from the museum

Root sculptures are shaped by the inherent nature of the root rather than being carved.

Collection credit

Gift of various donors to the department of Asian Art (by exchange)

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.