Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art

1AN IMPORTANT INCISED AND GILT BURNT JADE BRUSH POT
Kangxi period, 1662–1722
清 康 熙 1662–1722 嵌 金 火 烧 玉 笔 筒
Dimensions: 11.2cm high without stand, 11.2cm diameter
Provenance: - T.Y. King & Sons Ltd., Hong Kong
- Sir S.S. Gordon, purchased July 1975
The sides incised in the round with a scene of a scholar seated within his
pavilion, contemplating the trees and mountainous landscape before him.
This brush pot was clearly made for someone with a deep appreciation for things
ancient, as the wonderfully worked surface conveys the sense of antiquity.The
scene may well have been derived from a painting by Dong Qichang (1555-
1636). Dong had a fascination with antiquity and his critical studies of Chinese
painting and calligraphy was groundbreaking for the time and had an enormous
influence on the artists of the Qing dynasty. He and other arbiters of taste were
known as the Nine Friends and were highly regarded by new, wealthy collectors.
Compare a painting by Dong Qichang sold by Christie’s Hong Kong, 29
November 2021, lot 857, bearing striking similarities to the scene depicted on
this brush pot in its treatment of the trees and architecture.