清乾隆 留青竹刻山水圖臂擱|Wrist rest

Unknown

Date unknown · Bamboo · Asian Art

Chinese is traditionally written vertically, from right to left and from top to bottom. An armrest is often placed over the last line on the paper while a new line is being written, so that the ink will not be smeared by a wrist or a sleeve. Armrests are usually rectangular, with a concave section, like a roof tile. This example is carved in the reserve-green technique. The yellow-green skin of the bamboo is partially preserved as highlights against a background of the darker and more fibrous inner layer.

Artist

Unknown

Date

Date unknown

Medium

Bamboo

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of A. W. Bahr, 1958