Bamboo and wooden slips – jiandú- were the main media for writing documents in China before the widespread introduction of paper during the first two centuries AD.

This substantial group, 98 pieces, of one-of-a-kind slips with painted hand calligraphy appeals to book lovers and antiquity sleuths We believe them to be circa 1900 , Qing dynasty and are offering this group from a collection of old works of art.

Dimensions: bamboo slips vary 10 inches long and .75 inches wide to 12 inches long

Provenance: Coming from an old Chengdu collection assembled in the 1970s.

History:
Bamboo and wooden slips jiandú were the main media for writing documents in China before the widespread introduction of paper during the first two centuries AD. The earliest surviving examples of wood or bamboo slips date from the 5th century BC during the Warring States period. However, references in earlier texts surviving on other media make it clear that some precursor of these Warring States period bamboo slips was in use as early as the late Shang period (from about 1250 BC). Bamboo or wooden strips were the standard writing material during the Han dynasty and excavated examples have been found in abundance. Subsequently, the invention of paper by Cai Lun during the Han dynasty began to displace bamboo and wooden strips from mainstream uses, and by the 4th century AD bamboo had been largely abandoned as a medium for writing in China. The long, narrow strips of wood or bamboo typically carry a single column of brush-written text each, with space for several tens of visually complex ancient Chinese characters. Each strip of wood or bamboo is said to be as long as a chopstick and as wide as two. For longer texts, many slips were sewn together used to make a kind of folding book. The custom of interring books made of the durable bamboo strips in royal tombs has preserved many works in their original form through the centuries. An important early find was the Jizhong discovery in 279 AD of a tomb of a king of Wei, though the original recovered strips have since disappeared. Several caches of great importance have been found in recent years.

We have been dealing in authentic Chinese and Japanese antiquities, garden ornaments, lanterns and water basins for 25 years. Our president personally travels to Japan each year to meet his network partners who assist him in finding best examples. He personally inspects each antique work of art to ensure its old age, authenticity and quality condition.

Lifetime guarantee of authenticity: All of our Asian works of art come with our lifetime authenticity guarantee.