A FINELY CARVED BAMBOO LIU QING ‘SCHOLARS’ BRUSH POT, BITONG, BY SHANG XUN, DATED 1825

拍品描述

A FINELY CARVED BAMBOO LIU QING ‘SCHOLARS’ BRUSH POT, BITONG, BY SHANG XUN, DATED 1825 China. Of cylindrical form, masterfully carved in the liu qing technique and in varying depths of relief with a continuous scene of scholars gathered in a secluded mountain retreat. To one side, the figures converse upon a rocky terrace before a tiled pavilion, framed by towering cliffs and ancient pines whose gnarled branches and clustered needles form a dense canopy overhead. The landscape continues around the vessel into precipitous crags and a solitary retreat, the reverse opening into a broad, uncarved expanse suggestive of a mist-filled sky. Dimensions: Height 14.7 cm Shang Xun, renowned for his skills in the liu qing technique of carving, was a bamboo master of the Jiaqing (1796-1820) and Daoguang (1821-1850) periods. The liu qing or 'positive relief' technique of carving was used as early as the Tang dynasty and examples can also be found from the 16th century, however it completely disappeared until the mid and late Qing periods when it reemerged and became popular again. It is a technique whereby the skin of the bamboo is retained to reveal a design. By selectively preserving the pale outer skin of the bamboo against the darker layers beneath and combining these subtle tonal contrasts with finely modulated shallow and deep relief, Shang Xun achieved effects closely resembling the varied washes and textures of ink painting. Shan Xun's carved pieces are exquisite, as can be seen from the present brushpot. Simon Kwan in Ming and Qing Bamboo, Hong Kong, 2000, p. 83, notes that “many of his brush pots are in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, but none are dated. Also worthy of study is a wrist-rest illustrating 'rafts for carrying deer' that has survived in the Fujiki collection in Japan. It is dated the second year of Jiaqing, dingsi, mid-summer, Shan Xun'”. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 31 May 2017, lot 3162 Price: HKD 1,980,000 or approx. EUR 257,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the related manner of carving and liu qing technique employed in this brush pot by the same carver. Note the size (11.2 cm) Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 4 April 2012, lot 3038 Price: HKD 1,040,000 or approx. EUR 160,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the related manner of carving and liu qing technique employed in this brush pot by the same carver.

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