Ashmolean − Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Details

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Associated place

Asia › China (place of creation)

Date

2nd half of the 16th century - 1st half of the 17th century
Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644)

Associated people

Ji Kang (AD 223 - 263) (subject)

Liu Ling (active AD 250 - 270) (subject)

Ruan Ji (AD 210 - 263) (subject)

Ruan Xian (probably active AD 230 - 260) (subject)

Shan Tao (AD 205 - 283) (subject)

Wang Rong (AD 233 - 305) (subject)

Xiang Xiu (c. AD 227 - 272) (subject)

Material and technique

wood, covered in yellow lacquer, and with decoration carved through red lacquer

Dimensions

12.5 x 38.2 x 2.5 cm (height x width x depth)

Material index

organic › vegetal › wood,

organic › vegetal › resin › lacquer

Technique index

covered › coated › varnished › lacquered,

carved,

formed › carved

Object type index

transport/carrier › carrier › tray › pen-tray,

container › vessel › tray › pen-tray,

communications equipment › art/writing equipment › pen-tray

No. of items

1

Credit line

Presented by E. H. North, 1964.

Accession no.

EA1964.171
Further reading

Impey, O. R., and M. Tregear, Oriental Lacquer: Chinese and Japanese Lacquer from the Ashmolean Museum Collections (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 1983), no. 6 a on p. ix, illus. p. 6

Glossary

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lacquer

lacquer

Chinese and Japanese lacquer is made from the sap of the lacquer tree, which is indigenous to Eastern China. It is applied to wood as a varnish or for decorative effect. In India and the Middle East, lacquer is made from the deposit of the lac insect.

Location

- Second floor | Room 38 | China from 800

Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.

Publications online

Oriental Lacquer: Chinese and Japanese Lacquer from the Ashmolean Collections
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- read object entry
Carved lacquer pen tray, showing the sages in the bamboo grove. These men are an historic group, often used in decoration. The upper layer is of red lacquer carved down to a yellow background.