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Specific Techniques

Work uses variety of techniques, such as openwork, hollow, line and semi-circle carving.

Description

Carved bamboo brush pot. Entire body of container depicts a man crossing a raging stream in a boat. He has a long beard, large ears, and is wrapped in a robe. Under his right arm he has a bundle of three scrolls, left arm is covered by cloak. To his right, there are waves in the foreground and a mountain in background, with trees at the peak. To his left are waves rolling towards him. The wave directly in front of him has a small smiling face. In the top left corner of the scene there are trees with low hanging branches. All designs are done in a mix of low and high relief. Openwork carving throughout. Base of container is concave.

Narrative

The artist, Guobin Chen (陈国斌), made this work in 2019 at his studio in Huizhou (徽州) in Huangshan City (黄山市). Chen is the brother-in-law of the donor.

History Of Use

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Huizhou was famous for its carving; Huizhou bamboo carving is said to have played an important role overall in the development of Chinese bamboo carving (竹雕) skills. Huizhou bamboo carving is mainly distributed in Huangshan City. Huizhou is located at the southern foot of Huangshan Mountain (黄山) and north of Tianmu Mountain (天目山). The unique and poetic sceneries are reflected in the themes of their ancient and modern bamboo carvings.

Iconographic Meaning

The idea of the work comes from the Analects of Confucius: "the wise enjoy water, the benevolent enjoy mountain. The wise move, the benevolent quiet. He who knows is happy, and he who is kind is long-lived." The artist states it is: "for the creation of ideas. The sage come out of the mountain stream in a boat carrying two or three volumes of books. He compared the dynamic water to the wise man, and the static rocks to the benevolent man. The books behind the saints make people yearn for knowledge. 'Reading thousands of books, walking thousands of miles' is the way for saints." The openwork carving technique is meant to give people unlimited reverie space.