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Buddhist Monk in a Grotto 乾隆御题诗玉山子

A work made of jade.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of jade.

Date:

Late Ming (1368–1644) or early Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 17th–early 18th century

Artist:

China

About this artwork

Chinese scholars commissioned exquisitely crafted sculptures to decorate the desks of their private studies. The upper corner of this miniature mountain cave is incised with an inscription datable to the reign of the Qianlong emperor (r. 1736-1795). However, it is likely that this inscription was added later. The artistic style of the sculpture suggests that it was created one century earlier than the inscription. Carved to depict a Buddhist monk peacefully meditating in a grotto, the sculpture may have expressed the owner’s penchant for aesthetic and spiritual retreat during a time of political instability.

Status

On View, Gallery 134

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Buddhist Monk in a Grotto 乾隆御题诗玉山子

Place

China (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1600–1750

Medium

Jade

Dimensions

9 × 8.1 × 2.2 cm (3 9/16 × 3 3/16 × 7/8 in.)

Credit Line

Edward and Louise B. Sonnenschein Collection

Reference Number

1950.972

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/71199/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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