Brush Washer
ClassificationsTools and Equipment-brush washers
Date1644-1911
Made AtChina, Asia
MediumGlass
Dimensions3 1/2 × 6 1/2 × 5 1/2 in. (8.9 × 16.5 × 14 cm)
Credit LineGift of Anne and Long Shung Shih
Object number2014.14.14
DescriptionBrush washers were an important feature of the scholar’s study. While painting or creating calligraphy, a scholar would use the brush washer to remove excess ink from the brush being used. It is interesting to note that many known examples of brush washers are made from porcelain or, less frequently, from stone. Glassblowing techniques were introduced to China from the western portions of Asia in approximately the 5th Century CE.The use of glass was stimulated from the popularity of the material outside of China. It was commonly worked using the same methods as jade or other stones. This entailed working the glass on a lapidary wheel by incising and carving it. The designs and forms created in glass were influenced from those of more frequently used materials including jade, lacquer, porcelain, and metal rather than from other cultural traditions of glassmaking.
On View
On viewCollections
1368-1644 CE
1368-1644 CE
20th Century
1050-221 BCE
c. 1500 CE
19th Century
19th Century
19th Century
19th Century
19th Century
20th Century
19th Century