China

This rare wood monkey was created as a mingqi (ming-chee), an object made specifically for a burial chamber. It was carved for a tomb in the state of Chu in southern China where wood was more prevalent–mingqi in the north of China were usually baked clay since wood was scarce. These wood figures were almost always coated with thin layers of lacquer, making it highly resistant to insects and water, thus preserving this object for more than two thousand years.

 

Lacquered carved wood, 2nd-1st centuries B.C.
Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, 2005.49