China through the Magnifying Glass: Masterpieces in Miniature and Detail at the Cleveland Museum of Art

 

Figure of Daoist Immortal He Xiangu, 1700s. China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Boxwood with colored ivory base; overall: 13.5 cm (5 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 1976.60

 
 

China through the Magnifying Glass

Masterpieces in Miniature and Detail

December 11, 2022 — February 26, 2023

 

Objects in miniature have mesmerized people of all cultures throughout the ages. The CMA’s Chinese collection has an extraordinarily large number of high-quality small-scale objects and miniatures from various dynasties. This exhibition focuses on China and explores the role and function of miniatures and small-scale masterpieces of craftsmanship. About 80 objects dating from ancient times to the 1800s will be presented according to their respective use and function in themed sections: “Accessories and Ornaments,” “Ritual and Devotion,” “Luxury and Craftsmanship,” “The Scholar’s Desk,” and “Toys, Boys, and Games.” These themes question each object’s function and role in society as a way of achieving a better understanding of China’s culture and history, as well as miniatures worldwide.

 
 
 

Click the image below to watch Look Closer: China through the Magnifying Glass.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Exhibition Preview

 

Textile Ornaments(?): Pair of Phoenixes, c. 700s. China, Tang dynasty (618-907). Beaten gold with chased detail; part 1: 12 x 10.4 cm (4 3/4 x 4 1/8 in.); part 2: 13.3 x 10.7 cm (5 1/4 x 4 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1942.1083

Recumbent Bull, 700s. China, Tang dynasty (618-907). Gilt bronze; overall: 3.5 x 7 cm (1 3/8 x 2 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1985.74

Adoring Monk, early 500s. China, Northern Wei dynasty (386-534). Gilt bronze; overall: 14.9 cm (5 7/8 in.); base: 3.6 x 5.2 x 3.9 cm (1 7/16 x 2 1/16 x 1 9/16 in.); figure: 11.5 cm (4 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. John Lyon Collyer in memory of her mother, Mrs. G. M. G. Forman 1962.213

Standing Horse, 206 BC–AD 220. China, Han dynasty (202 BC-AD 220). Bronze; overall: 6.5 cm (2 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund 1977.57

Goose, 1100–900 BC. China, Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1046-771 BC). Jade; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Anonymous Gift 1952.574

Tripod Cauldron (Ding), 1200–1100 BC. China, Shang dynasty (c.1600-c.1046 BC). Bronze; overall: 14.3 x 12.5 cm (5 5/8 x 4 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1960.288

Fish with Curved Snout, 12th-10th Century BC. China, Shang dynasty (c.1600-c.1046 BC) - Western Zhou dynasty (c.1046-771 BC). Jade ; overall: 7.3 cm (2 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mary B. Lee, C. Bingham Blossom, Dudley S. Blossom III, Laurel B. Kovacik, and Elizabeth B. Blossom, in memory of Elizabeth B. Blossom 1972.156

Belt Hook, late 500s-early 400s BC. China, Eastern Zhou dynasty (771-256 BC). Bronze inlaid with powdered azurite; overall: 6.2 cm (2 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1992.49

Miniature Garden Seat, late 1700s–early 1800s. China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Qianlong mark and reign (1736-95). Ivory with pigments; overall: 4.4 x 3.8 cm (1 3/4 x 1 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Mrs. Severance A. Millikin 1989.330

Stag, 1100–900 BC. China, Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1046-771 BC). Jade; overall: 5.6 x 6.1 cm (2 3/16 x 2 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Anonymous Gift 1952.490

Belt Hook (Daigou) in the Form of a Buffalo or Elephant Head, c. 481–400 BC. China, Eastern Zhou dynasty (771-256 BC), Warring States period (475-221 BC). Bronze with silver inlay; overall: 3.8 cm (1 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cornelia Blakemore Warner Fund 1965.29

Sakyamuni Preaching: A Votive Stele, c. 565. China, Northern Dynasties period (AD 386-581), Northern Zhou (557-581). Yellow mottled stone; average: 13.7 x 9.9 x 5.3 cm (5 3/8 x 3 7/8 x 2 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1915.561

Head, 960–1279. China, Song dynasty (960-1279). Iron; overall: 7.4 cm (2 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, General Income Fund 1917.319

Bodhisattva Guanyin, 581–618. China, Sui dynasty (581-618). Gilt bronze; overall: 8.3 cm (3 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. John Lyon Collyer in memory of her mother, Mrs. G. M. G. Forman 1962.217

Inlays for a Mirror or Box, c. 900–1000. China, Tang dynasty (618-907) - Song dynasty (960-1279). Beaten silver with chased details; overall: 4.7 x 8.4 cm (1 7/8 x 3 5/16 in.); irregular: 5.3 x 8.4 cm (2 1/16 x 3 5/16 in.); part 1: 4.6 x 8.4 cm (1 13/16 x 3 5/16 in.); part 2: 5.2 x 7.8 cm (2 1/16 x 3 1/16 in.); part 3: 5.2 x 5.6 cm (2 1/16 x 2 3/16 in.); part 4: 4.2 x 6.1 cm (1 5/8 x 2 3/8 in.); part 5: 4.6 x 5.2 cm (1 13/16 x 2 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Eugene Victor Thaw 1969.78

Kneeling Boy, Fragment, 1500s. China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Ivory; overall: 11 cm (4 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Mrs. Severance A. Millikin 1989.329

Octafoil Mirror with Hunters and Prey, late 600s–early 700s. China, Tang dynasty (618-907). Bronze; diameter: 20 cm (7 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee 1995.365

Head of a Bodhisattva, 1100s. China, reportedly from Henan province, Northern Song (960-1127) to Jin dynasty (1115-1234). Wood; overall: 86.4 x 40.6 x 38.1 cm (34 x 16 x 15 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Dudley P. Allen Fund 1923.54

Seated Buddha, 600s. China, Tang dynasty (618-907). Gilt bronze; overall: 13.3 x 6.9 cm (5 1/4 x 2 11/16 in.); figure: 9.9 cm (3 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. John Lyon Collyer in memory of her mother, Mrs. G. M. G. Forman 1961.18

Toad, AD 386–534. China, Six Dynasties period (317-581), Northern Wei dynasty (386-534). Gilt bronze; overall: 5 cm (1 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Herbert F. Leisy in memory of his wife, Helen Stamp Leisy 1977.208

Potala Guanyin, 900s. China, Five dynasties (907-960). Carved sandalwood with traces of paint; overall: 15.1 x 9.9 cm (5 15/16 x 3 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1965.556

Miniature Votive Stupa, AD 435. China, Gansu province, Northern Wei dynasty (386-534). Steatite; overall: 16.9 cm (6 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1990.84

Fragment of Bodhisattva Head, possibly AD 400s–600s. China, possibly Yungang ?. Sandstone; overall: 14.9 cm (5 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1997.116

 
News 11, Exhibitions 2Editorial TeamArt of the Ancestors, Steven G. Alpert, Asian Art, Island Southeast Asian Art, Oceanic Art, Asiatica, Ethnographica, Ethnographic Art, Art Collection, Fine Art, Primitive Art, Indonesian Art, Tribal Art, Eyes of the Ancestors, Dr. Reimar Schefold