The Cleveland Museum of Art (11 December–26 February 2023) explores the importance of the miniature in Chinese art history and culture. Bringing together more than 80 small-scale masterpieces, the show considers the varied functions of these objects, whether as toys, accessories, religious emblems or decorative pieces. Highlights include a boxwood miniature from the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) depicting one of the eight immortals in the Daoist pantheon, who rides a raft on green waves made from ivory, and a small white jade thumb ring, also from the Qing Dynasty, with a dragon and mouse carved in relief. Elsewhere, a miniature of a kneeling boy from the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) exemplifies the precise detail achieved by ivory artists of the era. Find out more on Cleveland’s website.
Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary here
Thumb ring (1600s), China. Cleveland Museum of Art
Kneeling boy (1500s), China. Cleveland Museum of Art
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