A SMALL FINE AND RARE BRUSHPOT WITH IMPERIAL POEMS IN IRON-RED YUZHI MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

well potted as a cylinder supported on four short ruyi legs, the exterior inscribed in iron-red with five imperial poems, titled Xiari yuan ju jishi wu shou ('Five Poems on Summer Days in the Garden'), all neatly written in regular script, signed Qianlong yuzhi, followed by two seals Qian and Long

Apart from two tiny stained glaze gaps to the underside, the brushpot is in excellent condition. The iron-red decoration is well preserved.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The five poems comes from Yuzhi Leshan Tang quanji dingben (Definitive Edition of the Complete Works by His Majesty from the Hall of Pleasure in Goodness), juan 29, p. 3, and can be translated as follows:

To while away time I rely on brush and ink,
Or, free from care, just go fishing, gather firewood.
Because I so love this distance from the dusty world,
I'd rather linger here surrounded by such scenery.
Clear wind fills my blouse and sleeves
As I listen to the night rain on banana leaves,
So I want to thank the visitor to Mount Gou
Since I myself cannot conjure up mists and clouds.

Rain which last night moistened new blossoms,
Is now red steam for a whole stretch of rosy clouds.
To watch clouds I occasionally lay back on the grass
And for fond guests I take my time over brewing tea.
Or sit and play with pure water from the running spring,
Going to sleep just when the bright moon starts to set,
And when this Zixi comes up with a line that satisfies,
He always sends it off to some mountain recluse.

Green bamboos make me feel remote,
Blue-green pines thrusting up above their company.
Hills are bright eyebrows painted in a flash,
Stream a dark sash which seems to split.
Occasionally an ancient calligraphic model is brought to my couch
Where I myself light a famous brand of incense.
The evening is cool thanks to a quick pass of rain,
And the Milky Way shines faintly through thin clouds.

Since there's a sincere and honest fellow here
A forest breeze has come to caress my face,
Where lotuses decorate the jade-green marsh
A summer pavilion open to the willows.
So fond of cranes I occasionally move my couch
And call to the boy to wash my cup clean.
Going back and forth I keep to the stone lined path,
Half because I so love its deep green moss.

A plank bridge spanning the waves
On which those in clogs seem walking in a boat.
Dark green water more flat than an outstretched palm,
Cathay poplars darker than pale enveloping mists,
Where fish are plentiful since no one fishes here,
And when blossoms fall they only can pity each other.
It's a picture-perfect river country scene –
Depend on it to banish all vulgar thought.

In their search for ever new designs and styles for the Qianlong emperor, the porcelain painters of the imperial kilns sometimes took the unusual step to reduce rather than to enlarge their choice of colours and decorative techniques from the plethora of possibilities at their disposal, yet while still producing subtly unique pieces. This is the case with the present brushpot, which at first glance appears familiar with its elegant imperial inscription on a cylindrical white form; however brushpots enamelled with iron-red inscription are rare. Two closely related examples, but inscribed with different poems, were included in the exhibition The Sun Yingzhou Collection of Chinese Ceramics, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2003, cat. nos 161 and 162.

Compare a Qianlong mark and period brushpot of similar form and size, but the poetic inscription written in black enamel, sold in these rooms, 5^th November 1996, lot 921; and another but supported on five feet, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the exhibition Stunning Decorative Porcelains from the Ch'ien-lung Reign, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2009, cat. no. 58.

Inscriptions in underglaze blue frequently adorned brushpots during the Kangxi reign (1662-1722) and this style of decoration was revived under the Qianlong emperor, but more frequently in black enamel on a variety of wares including brushpots, teacups and teapots. For the possible inspiration for the present brushpot, see a Kangxi example of broad proportions inscribed with a hundred shou characters in underglaze red, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III), Shanghai, 2000, pl. 166.