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 three 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; and another in the Mary and George Bloch collection, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 23 October 2005, lot 8.