Wrist Rest (1736–95): Art, History and Details

Wrist Rest (1736–95) 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 also became collectibles and were treasured as artworks. The front of this jade wrist rest is carved with a design of a pine tree, clouds, and a crane of immortality holding a branch of lingzhi fungus in its mouth. The raised rectangular boss on the back of the wrist rest is inscribed.

Object facts

• Title: Wrist Rest
• Date: 1736–95
• Culture: China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qianlong reign (1736–95)
• Type: Jade
• Technique: jade
• Dimensions: Overall: 16.2 cm (6 3/8 in.)
• Collection: China - Qing Dynasty
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 1970.145

A detail from the museum

Wrist rests were used to steady the hand while creating graceful brush strokes.

Collection credit

Gift of Mrs. John Lyon Collyer in memory of her mother, Mrs. G. M. G. Forman

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 (February 1971): 22–71.

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.