Wrist rest decorated with bamboo

Jin Xiya Chinese

Not on view

This wrist rest is an excellent example of bamboo carving by Jin Xiya (1890–1979), the finest bamboo artist active in twentieth-century China. It showcases Jin’s virtuosic command of traditional bamboo carving. His works incorporate compositions from designs contributed by his contemporary artists, such as Araki Jipo (Japanese, 1872–1944) on this piece. Jin’s works not only represent the highest achievement of bamboo carving in early twentieth century China, but they also preserve a microcosm of the literati world of that time, when members of the scholarly elite sought to sustain inherited traditions in the face of a rapidly modernizing world.

According to the archival list of Jin’s works (wrist rest #38), the bamboo carving was completed in the winter of 1929.

Wrist rest decorated with bamboo, Jin Xiya (Chinese, 1890–1979), Bamboo with intaglio carving, China

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Wrist rest decorated with bamboo, Jin Xiya (Chinese, 1890–1979), Bamboo with intaglio carving, China
Wrist rest decorated with bamboo, Jin Xiya (Chinese, 1890–1979), Bamboo with intaglio carving, China

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.