A RARE CARVED BURLWOOD BRUSHPOT

THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN

Details

A RARE CARVED BURLWOOD BRUSHPOT
SIGNED HONGSHOU, 17TH CENTURY

The thick, cylindrical vessel unusually carved from a single piece of wood and superbly carved in shallow relief on three-quarters of the exterior in the style of the late Ming painter, Chen Hongshou, with a bold treescape composed of a large knotted pine tree and broad trunk of a fir tree issuing from the base against a backround of a turbulent waterfall enveloping craggy rock formations converging at the center, with the waves continuing from behind the trees on either side only to subside at the plain, uncarved back section, the details exquisitely rendered, the wood of reddish-brown tone with darker brown knots, incised with a two-character signature to one side of the scene, 6 5/8in. (16.8cm.) high, fitted box

Further details

See illustrations of two views

Lot Essay

Chen Hongshou (1598-1652) was born in Zhuji, near Shaoxing in Zhejiang Provence.
The high quality of the carving certainly suggests a 17th century dating on this brushpot and it is tempting to believe that Chen Hongshou carved it himself though this cannot be convincingly proved. The fitted cylindrical box bears the name of the well known early 20th century Beijing collector Taoguang and gives the title 'Old trees and flying waterfall' to the brushpot