Bamboo Carved Pen Holder Featuring a Maid Stealing a Look at a Book Scroll

Bamboo Carved Pen Holder Featuring a Maid Stealing a Look at a Book Scroll

This is the signature work of Zhu Sansong, a renowned bamboo sculptor of the Ming Dynasty. The illustration is a scene from Romance of the West Chamber, a famous Chinese play. The carving skills involve various degrees of depth and elaborateness, producing a multi-layered effect on the whole picture.