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The famous quote by Song dynasty scholar Su Shi, "Rather eat without meat than live without bamboo", reveals the high status in which bamboo was once held among China's literati and high society. Starting tomorrow (March 14), "The Wonders of Bamboo: Chinese Bamboo Carving Donated by Dr Ip Yee" exhibition will showcase over 150 Chinese carved bamboo artefacts from different periods, providing visitors with a comprehensive display of this particular genre of Chinese art.
All exhibits were donated by collector Dr Ip Yee (1921-1984), and they reveal both the development of Chinese bamboo carving and the exquisite craftsmanship of bamboo carvers. The exhibition also commemorates the generosity of Dr Ip Yee, who went to great lengths to promote the art of bamboo carving before bequeathing his collection to the people of Hong Kong.
Highlights include a bamboo toad carved by the renowned bamboo carver Zhu Ying in the Ming dynasty; a brush pot depicting in low relief "Ding Shan shooting a wild goose" carved by the Qing master Wu Zhifan; a monkey on a horse carved in the round from the Kangxi period of the Qing dynasty; a wrist-rest engraved with the god of longevity from the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty; a brush-rest in the form of nine chi-dragons carved in the round from the 18th century; and a cricket cage carved with flowers and insects in "liuqing" low relief by the famous 20th century liuqing bamboo carver Xu Subai.
Bamboo is characterised by its hollowness, upright appearance and tenacious quality, and was frequently associated with Chinese literati of lofty temperament as well as with dignity and integrity. Partly for these reasons bamboo became symbolic of the gentleman in historical China. From the Tang dynasty onwards, appreciating, praising, painting and carving bamboo became fashionable. During the Ming and Qing periods, simple and elegant bamboo carvings were favoured by the literati as studio accoutrements, making this a prosperous period for bamboo carving. Bamboo carvings exemplified the artistic preferences of literati in terms of motifs, techniques and charms, thus enhancing the art of bamboo carving and exhibiting the aesthetic value of bamboo artefacts as a fine art.
Dr Ip was a passionate advocate of Chinese antiquities, and with his family's assistance he began collecting them during the 1950s. He was one of the founding members of the Min Chiu Society and a member of the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong. His collection reflected a wide range of interests though he had a preference for bamboo carved artefacts. From the 1960s onwards he put great effort into collecting bamboo carvings and was influential in related research and promotion work. After Dr Ip passed away in 1984 his family donated 200 items of Chinese bamboo carvings to the City Museum and Art Gallery (now the Hong Kong Museum of Art), making the Museum of Art the custodian of one of the most comprehensive and representative collections of Chinese bamboo carving.
For further information, please call 2721 0116 or visit the Hong Kong Museum of Art's website at www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Arts/en_US/web/ma/exhibition.html.
Ends/Friday, March 13, 2015
Issued at HKT 18:11
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