A finely carved zitan brushpot Ming Dynasty, Wanli period

of characteristic cylindrical form with rounded foot naturalistically carved with a band of peony, the exterior elaborately carved in low relief with a continuous scene of two pheasants and two magpies perched on the branches of a gnarled blossoming prunus tree with a further magpie flying above, amid rockwork issuing magnolia, narcissus and lingzhi fungus, below an inlaid silver wire keyfret border, the mouth with a classic scroll design, also inlaid with silver wire, the base signed zi yan ge, the wood of a deep brown tone  

Few examples of late Ming dynasty zitan carving of this high quality survive, and the present piece ranks among the finest brushpots in the medium.

The characteristic style of carving on late Ming zitan more closely relates to the workmanship encountered on cinnabar lacquer, rather than on bamboo.  Pheasants on flowering branches were a popular subject on Imperial lacquerware in the 16^th century.  A close comparison of birds and prunus blossoms on the brushpot and the same subject matter on a cinnabar lacquer bowl in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Carved Lacquer in the Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1984, pl. 117, brings forth the similarities of the treatment, except for the absence of a diaper ground on the brushpot.  See two further dishes with pheasants perched on flowering branches, ibid., pl.119 and 120, as well as a cinnabar lacquer brushpot of the same period decorated with prunus blossoms but no birds, in the Palace Museum illustrated ibid., pl.121. It is conceivable that lacquer craftsmen would have equally worked on hardwoods.

The silver inlay wire circling the side of the rim and on the top is characteristic of later Ming wood brushpots. On the present example, the style of the key-fret, as well as the foliate classic scroll on top are again intimately related to stylized borders found on Ming cinnabar lacquer.