QIANLONG FOUR-CHARACTER SEAL MARK IN IRON RED AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)

Of cylindrical form, the brush pot is finely painted with a powerful dragon emerging from clusters of clouds, the reverse with a nine-character cursive inscription and two iron-red seals reading ‘tao’ and ‘zhu’.

Compare with a very similar brush pot housed in the Art Gallery, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, illustrated in Qing Imperial Porcelain of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns, Hong Kong, 1995, pl.85. Both brush pots are decorated with a similar dragon on one side and a poem on the reverse.

As discussed in the article Tan Tang Ying kuan de ciqi ji qita, Jingdezhen Taoci, 1982, no.2, Geng Baochang mentioned ‘tao’ and ‘zhu’ are the typical seals used by Tang Ying, and listed brush pots made by Tang Ying in the Palace Museum, Beijing, carrying these two seals, which further helps identify the present brush pot as a work by the legendary ceramicist Tang Ying.