"Professor Yi has presented an important study of artistic practices in a period neglected by historians of art in the English-speaking world. In integrating the study of 'arts' and 'craft,' this book makes original contributions not only to art history but also intellectual and sociocultural histories of China. Its innovative analysis of calligraphy as a material practice with multimedia dimensions will be especially welcome by historians of calligraphy and scholars of artisanal cultures. This is also the first major study to appear in English on Chen Hongshou and Yixing teapots, which are fetching astronomical prices in auction houses today. This tightly written and well-illustrated book will delight scholars and general readers alike." —Dorothy Ko, Barnard College
"This is a very illuminating study of an alternative form of Chinese calligraphy that deserves attention and appreciation. It clearly demonstrates how the rendition of calligraphic inscription on functional, cultural objects, such as teapots, inkstones, and inksticks, emerged as a significant sociocultural phenomenon in the literati circle in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century China. With sophistication and sensitivity, Professor Yi has highlighted how the literati played the role of calligraphers and carvers in making calligraphic inscriptions by investigating the intellectual, aesthetic, and practical aspects of this artistic pursuit as well as the pertinent notion of the blurring boundaries between literati and artisans. Professor Yi’s unique approach to the executional processes of calligraphic carving and their artistic implications offers an inspiring interpretation of the materiality of Chinese calligraphy. This book is essential reading not only for understanding the development of calligraphy in late imperial China but also for appreciating the broader sociocultural phenomenon that has shaped it." —Chak Kwong Lau, Hong Kong Baptist University
