Du Shiyuan

CHINA, Jiangsu, Suzhou; Qing dynasty

Du Shiyuan was an acclaimed sculptor who served in the imperial court. He mastered the skill of microscopic carving and was known for sculpting boats from olive and peach pits, which were worth as much as 1.87 kg of platinum at the time. His works in ivory were also carved with refined and consummate skills. Among Du’s well-known works is a tiny boat carved onto an olive pit, which displays Su Shi orating his famous poem, Ode to the Red Cliffs.
Another work entitled Eighteen Arhats is carved in relief on the both sides of a peach pit. Each tiny figure either stands, sits, chants, or meditates, all with a variety of expressions. The sculpture is currently kept at the Changde Museum in Jiangsu.