QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

Details

A FINELY CARVED 'SEVEN SAGES' BAMBOO BRUSH POT
QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY
The brush pot is deeply carved around the cylindrical exterior to depict a continuous scene of the 'Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove' engaged in various leisurely pursuits including drinking tea seated under the shades of pine trees, in conversation, observing the landscape, and playing a game of weiqi, in a distant opening in a bamboo grove. The Sages are accompanied by young attendants, two of whom are portrayed playfully climbing up bamboo trees, all in a rocky landscape setting. The mouth and foot rims are mounted with hardwood.
6 5/8 in. (16.8 cm.) high

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Lot Essay

The 'Seven Sages of the Bamboo Groove' were a group of 3rd century scholars who rejected official duties in favour of rustic life, and often gathered in a bamboo groove to drink wine and to discuss art and literature. The theme was popularly adopted by bamboo carvers of the 17th/18th century, with slight variations in the overall composition. Compare with four similar examples, the first from the Beijing Palace Museum Collection, illustrated in The Palace Museum Collection of Elite Carvings, Forbidden City Publishing House, 2002, no. 29; from the Dexinshuwu Collection, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 May 2005, lot 1291; in the Mary and George Bloch Collection, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 23 October 2005, lot 8; and an example sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 3 December 2008, lot 2313.

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