Hall of Ancient Airs
late 19th–early 20th century
Medium
Pine soot and binding medium; inscribed in gilt
Dimensions
H. 2 in. (5.1 cm); W. 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm)
Classification
Ink
Culture & Period
China · late Qing dynasty (1644–1911) or early Republic period (1912–49)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1930
Accession Number
30.76.267
Art Historical Context
Nestled among the treasures of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian collection, *Hall of Ancient Airs is a delicate inkstick crafted by Jian Guzhai during the late Qing dynasty (4–1911) or early Republic period (191–49). Measuring just 2 inches high and nearly 3 inches wide, diminutive object belies its profound cultural weight as a scholar's studio essential. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 0, it embodies the literati tradition of late imperial China, where everyday tools became vessels for poetic expression. Made from premium pine soot mixed with a binding medium and adorned with eleg...
About the Artist
Jian Guzhai
Jian Guzhai — meaning roughly "Studio for Appreciating the Antique" — was a renowned ink-tablet workshop operated by the Wang Jinsheng family in the Huizhou region of Anhui Province, China, one of the historic centers of fine inkstick production. Active during the late Qing dynasty (1644–1911) and possibly into the early Republic period (1912–49), the workshop was celebrated for producing ink tabl...