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Source Description
This is one of ten ink cakes of different shapes and colors stored in an exquisite lacquer box. Each is inscribed in gold with a poem by the Qianlong emperor, praising the ten famous sights of the Westlake in Hangzhou, near Shanghai. The Westlake is famous for its natural beauty; it was a favorite imperial destination and remains a tourist attraction today.<br><br>Ink cakes (also called ink sticks) are dissolved with the addition of water and ground on the surface of a flat stone into liquid ink for painting and calligraphy. The precious ink cakes here, however, have never been used.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
121905
label
Ink Stick from an Imperially Commissioned Set of Ink Stick with Images and Poems of Famous West Lake Sites
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
121905
contentType
object
title
Ink Stick from an Imperially Commissioned Set of Ink Stick with Images and Poems of Famous West Lake Sites
description
This is one of ten ink cakes of different shapes and colors stored in an exquisite lacquer box. Each is inscribed in gold with a poem by the Qianlong emperor, praising the ten famous sights of the Westlake in Hangzhou, near Shanghai. The Westlake is famous for its natural beauty; it was a favorite imperial destination and remains a tourist attraction today.<br><br>Ink cakes (also called ink sticks) are dissolved with the addition of water and ground on the surface of a flat stone into liquid ink for painting and calligraphy. The precious ink cakes here, however, have never been used.
date
1780–94
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60778252
genreSpecific
Miscellaneous
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 7.4 x 4.2 cm (2 15/16 x 1 5/8 in.)
cul
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qianlong reign (1736–95)
accession
1942.215.1
Source extras
tec
Molded ink in brown
tombstone
Ink Stick from an Imperially Commissioned Set of Ink Stick with Images and Poems of Famous West Lake Sites, 1780–94. China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qianlong reign (1736–95). Molded ink in brown; overall: 7.4 x 4.2 cm (2 15/16 x 1 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Henry W. Kent, 1942.215.1
collection
China - Qing Dynasty
inscriptions
inscription
乾隆年製
inscription_translation
Qianlong nian zhi (Made in the reign of Qianlong)
inscription_remark
on the side of the cake
formerAccessionNumbers
1942.215
citations
citation
The poems on the ink sticks are published in <em>Yuzhi shiji </em>御製詩集 [Collection of imperial poetry], vol. 4, juan 71, 6b–8b; and <em>Qinding nanzun shengdian</em> 欽定南巡盛典 [Grand ritual of the southern tour], juan 17, 17b–28b.
citation
Wang Chi-chien. "Notes on Chinese Ink." <em>Metropolitan Museum Studies</em>, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Dec. 1930), pp. 114–133.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 127, fig. 14
citation
Hollis, Howard. "A Gift of Chinese Inks." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> Vol. 33, No. 1 (Jan., 1946), pp. 3–5, 11.
page_number
Mentioned: pp. 3–5, 11
citation
von Spee, Clarissa. “The Power of Writing: A new display in the Chinese galleries focuses on inscriptions.” <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine </em>58, no. 5 (September/October 2018): 12–13.
page_number
Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 13
citation
Griswold, William, Xiaofei Tian, Richard Von Glahn, Feng Zhao, S. J. Vainker, Masaaki Itakura, Jiang Wu, et al. <em>China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta</em>. Edited by Clarissa von Spee. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 374–375, no. 206
creditline
Gift of Henry W. Kent
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:16:45.781000
sourceId
121905
dept
Chinese Art
coll
China - Qing Dynasty
med
Molded ink in brown
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
797746262da1ee5e