Untitled

Jin Xiya

1922 · Bamboo with intaglio carving · Asian Art

This wrist rest is an excellent example of bamboo carving by Jin Xiya, the finest bamboo artist active in twentieth-century China. It perfectly demonstrates Jin’s command of intaglio carving at an early stage in his career. The décor, following a design contributed by his brother Jin Cheng (1876–1926), is engraved into the bamboo’s curved surface in fine “iron wire” lines that nonetheless capture the twisting and turning of the foliage. The outlines of the gourds were emphasized with broader, beveled intaglio lines that give the gourds a more three-dimensional appearance. The incised inscription also conveys the varied modulations of Jin Cheng’s calligraphy. According to the archival list of Jin’s works (wrist rest #9), the bamboo carving was completed on September 6, 1922.

Artist

Jin Xiya

Date

1922

Medium

Bamboo with intaglio carving

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions Fund for Asian Art, 2020