Bamboo-root Carving Featuring Figures on Boat

Passed down from earlier generations, this sculpture presents a heavily-adorned boat crafted based on the natural shape of a piece of bamboo root, the hairs of which were ingeniously turned into vine-intertwining boat canopy. Five figures including an elderly man, boy servants and ladies with various gestures and expressions are placed on the boat, either talking, laughing, looking to the distance, or rowing. The boat is supported by a base covered with relief-style waves, creating a sense of movement as if the boat was pushing forward against wind and waves. This piece of artwork with ingenious design and meticulous carving is a perfect combination of natural botanic beauty and human efforts, representing a higher level of bamboo-root carving of Yangzhou in the Qing dynasty (1644-1912 AD).