A tour de force of carving skill, the design on this brush holder is cut from the lighter skin of the bamboo so that it stands in relief against the darker, fibrous stalk. The subject is a gathering hosted by Ouyang Xiu (1007–1072) in 1045. Ouyang later composed an ode to commemorate the event, and to poke fun at himself for being both the eldest and the most easily intoxicated of the guests.
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晚明 張希黃 留青竹刻 《醉翁亭記》 詩意圖筆筒
Title:Brush holder with “Ode to the Pavilion of the Inebriated Old Man”
Artist:Zhang Xihuang (active early 17th century)
Period:Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Date:early 17th century
Culture:China
Medium:Bamboo
Dimensions:H. 5 1/4 in. (13.4 cm)
Classification:Bamboo
Credit Line:Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. John A. Wiley Gift, Seymour Fund, Bequest of Dorothy Graham Bennett and Erich O. Grunebaum Bequest, 1994
Accession Number:1994.208
Signature: Signature and seal: Xi-huang
Inscription: Ode by On-yang Xiu (1007–1072)
Sale, Park-Bernet, New York , April 27–28, 1967, lot 356; Blanchette H. Rockefeller , New York (until d. 1994); sale, Christie's, London , June 2, 1994, lot 18; to Lally; [ J. J. Lally & Co. , New York, 1994; sold to MMA]
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New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Dreams of Yellow Mountain: Landscapes of Survival in Seventeenth-Century China," September 13, 2003–February 22, 2004.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Douglas Dillon Legacy: Chinese Painting for the Metropolitan Museum," March 12–August 8, 2004.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Painting, Masterpieces from the Permanent Collection," August 28, 2004–February 20, 2005.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of the Brush: Chinese Painting and Calligraphy," March 12–August 14, 2005.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Brush and Ink: The Chinese Art of Writing," September 2, 2006–January 21, 2007.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Journeys: Mapping the Earth and Mind in Chinese Art," February 10–August 26, 2007.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Bridging East and West: The Chinese Diaspora and Lin Yutang," September 15, 2007–February 10, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Anatomy of a Masterpiece: How to Read Chinese Paintings," March 1–August 10, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Landscapes Clear and Radiant: The Art of Wang Hui (1632–1717)," September 9, 2008–January 4, 2009.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arts of the Ming Dynasty: China's Age of Brilliance," January 23–September 13, 2009.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Eccentric Visions: The Worlds of Luo Ping (1733–1799)," October 6, 2009–January 10, 2010.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Art of Dissent in 17th-Century China: Masterpieces of Ming Loyalist Art from the Chih Lo Lou Collection," September 6, 2011–January 2, 2012.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Gardens: Pavilions, Studios, Retreats," August 18, 2012–January 6, 2013.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Out of Character: Decoding Chinese Calligraphy—Selections from the Collection of Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang," April 29–August 17, 2014.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Art of the Chinese Album," September 6, 2014–March 29, 2015.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Up Close," January 25, 2020–June 27, 2021.
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