A FINE LATE MING CARVED IVORY BRUSH, the handle carved and pierced with grapevine and clusters of fruit interspaced with four clambering squirrels, all within leiwen borders, the ivory patinated a deep-rich brown,

THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN OF TITLE

Details

A FINE LATE MING CARVED IVORY BRUSH, the handle carved and pierced with grapevine and clusters of fruit interspaced with four clambering squirrels, all within leiwen borders, the ivory patinated a deep-rich brown,

first half of the 17th Century
16.5cm. long, wood box

Exhibited

Oriental Ceramic Society and the British Museum, Chinese Ivories from the Shang to the Qing, 1984, Catalogue, no.142, col. pl.5

Lot Essay

An ivory brush carved in openwork is illustrated in Masterpieces of Chinese Writing Materials in the National Palace Museum, Taipei 1971, pl.3, where it is given a Qing date. This present lot, unusual for a Chinese ivory, has been preserved in Japan. The 16th Century connoisseur Xiang Yuanbian dismisses ivory as a suitable material for brush handles in his Jiao chuang jiu lu, along with a long list of other materials, preferring plain bamboo

More from Chinese

View All