Zhu Xiaosong

CHINA, Shanghai, Jiading; Ming dynasty

Zhu Xiaosong, original name Zhu Yin, was a carver, poet, painter, and calligrapher from Jiading, Shanghai. He was known for his strength of character, distancing himself from influential officials. His father Zhu Songling and his son Zhu Sansong are also renowned artists; together they are known as the Three Zhus of Jiading, or the Three Songs of Bamboo.
Zhu specialized in bamboo carving, but also experimented with carving rhinoceros horns, ivory, and sandalwood. Equally adept in creating deep, low, transparent, and full relief works, he carved images of deities and Buddhas, and also made brush holders and incense holders. He was one of the most influential bamboo carving masters of the Jianding school during the late Ming dynasty (1368–1644).
His artworks include an Incense Holder kept in Shanghai Museum, and Buddha’s Hands in the Palace Museum in Beijing. Incense Holder Depicting Liu Ruan Entering Tiantaishan was found in 1966 in Shanghai, and marked with the inscriptions “Tiantai Mountain” and “Zhu Xiaosong.” His works were compiled in Collection of Xiaosong Shanren.