Brush Holder with Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove China, Qing dynasty, 1700s bamboo, h 5½ inches (14 cm), d 6 inches (15.2 cm) Lutz Bamboo Collection, gift of Adelle Lutz and David Byrne 2004.829 Rotate Brush Holder

In China, bamboo objects are well suited for a scholar's studio. A section of culm, or stalk, can be cut to form a brush holder. Scholars’ objects are often carved with literary and historic subjects like the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, a group of men who enjoyed poetry, music, alcohol, and freedom from court politics.

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