Bone/Ivory Stylus
1st-4th century
Description
Carved and polished bone stylus. The pointed end is conical; one side of the rounded end is flat. The shaft, round in section, has a raised ridge at approximately the spot where it would have been held for writing; it tapers toward each end.
Dimensions
9.98 cm (3 15/16 in.)
Provenance
The Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University (before 1970-2012), transfer; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2012.
Related Artworks
View More
Chūban (medium-sized) minogami (mulberry bark paper) treated with persimmon juice and cut using the "kiribori" (drill-carving), "dōgubori" (punch-carving), and "tsukibori" (thrust-carving) techniques
19th-20th centuryJapaneseOpaque watercolor, gold-colored pigments, and lacquer over brass layer on pasteboard
19th centuryPersianPale greenish white nephrite
18th centuryChineseKakuban (square-shaped) minogami (mulberry bark paper) treated with persimmon juice and cut using the "tsukibori" (thrust-carving) technique, with "ito-ire" (silk-web) reinforcement
19th-20th centuryJapaneseChosŏn white ware: porcelain with light blue glaze over carved, molded, and openwork decoration. Made at Punwŏn-ri, Kwangju-gun, Kyŏnggi province.
18th-19th centuryKorean