Ink Cake Container c. 1600
workshopofchengdayue
product studio photography
circular oval feature
egg art
pottery
cake food
product fashion photography
stoneware
ceramic
china
round circular shape
watercolour bleed
This small, circular "Ink Cake Container" dating to c. 1600, was likely made by the workshop of Cheng Dayue, a renowned Chinese artist of the Ming Dynasty. The container features a scene of a river landscape, a popular theme in Chinese art, with a boat carrying two figures and a large tree in the foreground. The lid is painted in black, gold, and red on a red ground. These vivid hues and the intricate details of the scene highlight the artistic skill of the workshop. The container, now held by the Minneapolis Institute of Art, exemplifies the beauty and craftsmanship of Chinese art during the Ming dynasty.
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Anhui and Shexian, in particular, had been the center of the ink-making industry since Tang times (618-906). The son of a prosperous Anhui merchant, Cheng Dayue immersed himself in the design and production of ink cakes from an early age. This lacquer presentation box to hold an ink container is a very rare example signed by the artist. Decorated on the exterior with a boating scene, this circular box would have originally held a round commemorative ink cake. Inside the cover and on the base are three gold lacquer seals of the workshop of Cheng Junfang, a well-known art name of Cheng Dayue. They read, "Made under the supervision of Junfang from Yanzhen in old She (Huizhou)."
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