Minneapolis Institute of Art

Ink Cake Container

Workshop: Workshop of Cheng Dayue

Date

c. 1600

Medium

Lacquer with incised polychrome decoration

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Anhui and Shexian, in particular, had been the center of the ink-making industry since Tang times (618-906). The son of a prosperous Anhui merchant, Cheng Dayue immersed himself in the design and production of ink cakes from an early age. This lacquer presentation box to hold an ink container is a very rare example signed by the artist. Decorated on the exterior with a boating scene, this circular box would have originally held a round commemorative ink cake. Inside the cover and on the base are three gold lacquer seals of the workshop of Cheng Junfang, a well-known art name of Cheng Dayue. They read, Made under the supervision of Junfang from Yanzhen in old She (Huizhou). China, Asia

The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.