Miniature screen
Date1924
Label TextThis delightful object imitates a screen for a grand home’s main hall. Five ivory panels, each depicting classical landscapes, have poetry and the carver’s signature. Miniscule essays—legible only under high magnification—are carved on the upper registers. The center one is by Tang dynasty poet and philosopher Han Yu (768–824), “On Ministers Offering Forthright Admonition.” Thus the subjects are solemn and scholarly, even though rendered in a playful size.
Object number35.617
Photo CreditPhoto: Elizabeth Mann
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Pure Amusements: Wealth, Leisure, and Culture in Late Imperial China, Dec. 24, 2016 - May 15, 2022.Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection
Dimensions22 1/2 × 23 1/2 × 5 1/2 in. (57.2 × 59.7 × 14 cm)
MediumTeak and ivory
Object number: 33.1721
Object number: 33.1085
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