Discretion, Thrift and Virtue 1871 - 1933

This ink tablet, Discretion, Thrift, and Virtue, was made by Jian Guzhai and now lives at the Met. What strikes me is the texture of the ink, how its surface is alive with tiny, tiny movements, as if the faintest breeze could ripple across it. I imagine Jian, carefully carving away at the tablet. What was Jian thinking as their tool met the surface? Were they meditating on virtue, hoping to embody those qualities through the act of creation? The characters inlaid at the surface of the stone catch the light. There’s a playful tension between the carved dragons at the top of the tablet and the simple blades of rice below, almost like a conversation between the earthly and the divine. It's an ongoing exchange. And that’s what art is, right? A way of speaking across time, inspiring the next person to pick up a brush, a chisel, or whatever tool lets them leave their mark.