StorageTube c. 1670 - 1730

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carving, wood

carving

asian-art

china

wood

calligraphy

This storage tube, by Tsun-chiang, is a fascinating object to consider within the context of Chinese social and intellectual life. The tube itself, likely crafted from bamboo or wood, presents a smooth surface for the inscription of text, while a small sculpture of a lion adorns the top. The text, running vertically, is an indication of the importance of calligraphy, of literary expression, and of the written word within Chinese culture. The text transforms the object from something functional to something imbued with cultural and intellectual value, likely produced for someone within the literati class. We might ask, then, about the role of such objects within the social structures of the time. Was this tube a gift, a personal item, or something produced for the market? By looking into the history of calligraphy, literature, and material culture in China, we can better understand the significance of this seemingly simple, yet culturally rich, object.

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minneapolisinstituteofart over 1 year ago

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This round tzu-t'an tube with its screw-on fu-dog top could have been used to store exotic incense sticks, a favorite writing brush, special chopsticks, or more likely cricket-tickling sticks. Unfortunately, the long, carefully inlaid inscription provides no clue as to the container's exact purpose. It reads in part: In the distance is a misty grove -- viewing the spring colors in Chiang-nanEverything here is worth remembering.The sorrows of rivers and mountains have not been thoroughly tasted...In the sunset under the willow trees, in whose courtyard am I in tying up the horse's reigns' It is signed Tsun-chiang mo-ku (in imitation of the ancient) with a cyclical date of keng-hsu corresponding to either 1670 or 1730. While very few inlayers of wood are recorded, silver-wire inlay is a characteristically Chinese art practice. This exquisitely crafted tube is a rare signed and dated literati object, however, and is thought to be unique.