Western high-stem set of carved wood cups. Qing dynasty(1644-1911).

Western high-stem set of carved wood cups. Qing dynasty(1644-1911).

• Image Number: K1G000091N000000000PAB
• Dynasty: Qing dynasty
• Category: Carvings
• Function: furnishings
• Material: Plants/Wood/
• Description:
  Open, deep belly, flat bottom, with multi-layer base under the cup. A group of several pieces, stacked from large to small, is called a sleeve cup. Various patterns are carved on the outer wall of the cup. In the 16th and 17th centuries in Germany, the process of turning ivory and woodwork with lathes spread rapidly in various courts. Because of the need for precise geometry knowledge and technology, the operation of lathes was included as a part of aristocratic education. Turning ivory with lathe became one of the leisure games for princes. In addition to the activities of hands to adjust the cumbersome government affairs of the brain, it was also a virtue to cultivate their patience. At that time, turning with a lathe was regarded as a shaping behavior completely different from carving. Carving was craft, while spinning was a mechanical skill, which must be performed by machinery, and can extend the limit range that human organs can reach.