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Carved type for Book from the Sky

Xu Bing Chinese

1987–91

Not on view

These pearwood blocks of movable type—here set within a gridded frame—are among the hundreds hand-carved by Xu to print the various scrolls and books for one of his most compelling works: Book from the Sky. The typeface, based on Ming dynasty (1368–1644) interpretations of a Song dynasty (960–1279) printing style (songti), is made up of squared lines with angular accents that make the carving of the characters more efficient. However, in spite of their authentic appearance, all of these characters are Xu’s inventions and they have no meaning.

Carved type for Book from the Sky, Xu Bing (born 1955), Pearwood, China — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Carved type for Book from the Sky

Artist: Xu Bing (born 1955)

Date: 1987–91

Culture: China

Medium: Pearwood

Dimensions: Racked type: 17 × 20 × 1 1/2 in. (43.2 × 50.8 × 3.8 cm)

Classification: Woodwork

Credit Line: Lent by the artist

Accession Number: SL.14.2013.2.1a–kk

Rights and Reproduction: © Xu Bing

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Asian Art at The Met

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