QIANLONG SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARK WITHIN A SQUARE IN IRON RED AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)

The present brush pot belongs to a group of ceramics which were made to simulate other material in a playful attempt at trompe-l'oeil or a 'trick of the eye'. Because of the flexibility and ease of use of ceramic clay and the expansive range of enamel colours available, many porcelain items during the Qianlong period were made to imitate other things.

Qianlong period porcelain brush pots inscribed with imperial poems by the Emperor are all comparatively small in size. The two poems inscribed on the present brush pot are recorded in Leshantang quan ji, 'Complete Works from the Leshan Hall', a collection of poems and essays written by Qianlong when he was still a prince. The majority of known porcelain objects inscribed with imperial poems recorded in Leshantang quan ji are larger pieces for display purposes, but a small group of small objects including snuff bottles, wall vases and brush pots such as the present one also exist.

Compare, a brush pot with an imperial poem by Qianlong inscribed in sepia, but of cylindrical form, in the collection of Palace Museum, Beijing, and illustrated in Poem and Porcelain: The Yu Shi Shi Ceramics in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 2016, p. 208-209.