A LACQUERED IVORY BRUSHPOT QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

of cylindrical form flaring slightly towards the mouthrim, engraved and enhanced with black lacquer, one side decorated with a garden landscape with two scholars seated at a table discussing a painting with three further scholars chatting nearby and an attendant offering tea, the other side depicting a pavilion below willow trees with two scholars gazing out onto the river, all amidst a mountainous landscape laden with pine trees, the side further decorated with an inscription in running script followed by a signature Shanju, with three seals, on preceding the inscription in a leaf Shanju ('Mountain Retreat'), the other two, one circular Zhu Tang ('Bamboo Hall') and one square Qing wan ('Pure plaything')

Collection of H. G. Beasley.
Collection of Miss M. Beasley, Brighton.
Sotheby's London, 4^th May 1984, lot 315.
Woods Wilson, London.
Collection of Edwin L. Miller, August 1987.

Apart from age cracks and yellow age stains, the overall condition is very good. One of the age cracks is a large C-shaped crack on the base.
"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 present brushpot belongs to a special group of ivory carvings that were made from plain ivory engraved with a design filled with black lacquer, a decorative technique that was popular during the late-Ming and early-Qing periods. The decoration of this brushpot is taken from the Chinese painting tradition that aimed to please the scholar-official and literati class. However, this brushpot is somewhat different from the norm as its walls are thicker than most suggesting the use of a large and long tusk for its production. While the engraved lines are usually filled with black pigment that is simply rubbed into the lines, in this case black lacquer is carefully inlaid like a thick wire that bulges out to form a neat rounded line on the surface. Where the lines are densely packed together, such as the pine-needle clusters, they become a black low-relief pattern that is distinct. The use of black lacquer on the cream-coloured ivory surface resembles ink used on paper, allowing the artisan to create a work that is painterly yet full of contrast and texture at the same time.

For related brushpots, see one illustrated in S. E. Lucas, The Catalogue of Sassoon Chinese Ivories, vol. III, London, 1950, cat. no. 655; another included in Ivories of China and the East, London, 1984, cat. no. 136; and a third example depicting a scene of two figures on a raft sold in our London rooms, 1^st November 1985, lot 277. Compare also a brushpot published in Warren E. Cox, Chinese Ivory Sculpture, New York, 1946, pl. 41, top right.

It is interesting to compare a double-layered box decorated in this technique whereby the motif of dragons is carved against a black-lacquered ground, giving the object a similar heavily outlined effect, included in the exhibition, Chinese Ivories from the Kwan Collection, Art Gallery, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1990, cat. no. 173.