Box
ca. 1720-1750 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This bamboo box was carved in the shape of a section of a pine tree trunk and shows pine tree branches in relief on the surface. Carvings from materials of vegetable origin, like wood, bamboo or gourd, represent one of the most elaborate and refined crafts in China, and often bear the signature of the artist. In this example, the two characters Yongji are incised on the base; they are the signature of the artist Deng Fujia, probably native of Fujian in south-east China and active during the Yongzheng (1723-1735) and Qianlong (1736-1795) reigns. His works of art are particularly rare since he produced mainly luxury goods for the imperial household.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Bamboo, carved |
| Brief description | Box and cover, carved bamboo, China, Qing dynasty, ca. 1720-1750 |
| Physical description | Bamboo box, carved as a section of pine trunk, with branches of pine tree in relief on the surface. The base signed Yongji. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | Incised on the base with a two-character mark 'Yong ji' (Yongji is the zi of Deng Fujia, a native of Fujian active in Jiading in the Qianlong period.)
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| Gallery label | BOX
Carved bamboo
Signed Yongji
CHINA; about 1740-1790
W.338-1910
Yongji is a name of the bamboo carver Deng Fujia, from Jaiding in Jiangsu province, who was active in the Qianlong reign (1736-1795)(pre 2005) |
| Credit line | Salting Bequest |
| Object history | Bequeathed by Mr. George Salting, accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. From Register: Box and cover, in shape of a sectio of bamboo, carved on the edges to imitate a pine branch, from which two pine-branches in very high relief rise and fold over the upper surface. Signed Yo-kichi. Japanese; late 18th century Revised Korzumi 3/11/1921. The 1921 reattribution as Japanese overleaf can be ignored. See Ip Yee and Lawrence C.S. Tam, Chinese Bamboo Carving, Part II (Hong Kong Museum f Art 1982), p. 114 CC 5/9/1983;; |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This bamboo box was carved in the shape of a section of a pine tree trunk and shows pine tree branches in relief on the surface. Carvings from materials of vegetable origin, like wood, bamboo or gourd, represent one of the most elaborate and refined crafts in China, and often bear the signature of the artist. In this example, the two characters Yongji are incised on the base; they are the signature of the artist Deng Fujia, probably native of Fujian in south-east China and active during the Yongzheng (1723-1735) and Qianlong (1736-1795) reigns. His works of art are particularly rare since he produced mainly luxury goods for the imperial household. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.338&A-1910 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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