A BAMBOO 'PINE' BRUSHREST, BY PU CHENG QING DYNASTY, 17TH / 18TH CENTURY

carved in the form of a horizontally spreading gnarled pine tree trunk with whorls and clusters of pine needles, the back carved with a small seal reading Cheng

Apart from a couple minute chips to the leaves on one side of the brushrest, the overall condition is very good. The actual size is about 50% smaller than the catalogue illustration.
"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 naturalistically carved brushrest in the form of a mature pine tree with foliate branches is the work of Pu Cheng whose original name was Pu-yang (zi Zhongqian). Pu, born in 1582, was a native of Jinling in Jiangsu province. According to Ip Yee and Laurence C.S. Tam in Chinese Bamboo Carving, Part II, Hong Kong, 1982, pp. 96-97, Pu was especially talented in carving fan-frames and perfume holders, and was distinguished for his ability to use the natural form of the bamboo when carving objects and figures. He is regarded as the founder of the Jinling School of bamboo carving, but was also skilled in the fashioning of horns and jades as well. Wang Shixiang and Wan-go Weng in Bamboo Carvings of China, New York, 1983, p. 24, note that in contemporary records Pu is mentioned as a carver who used his knife sparingly, while he employed slight cutting and shaping to bring out the natural form and shape of the material. For examples of his work, see a double-gourd form box and cover, from the collection of Dr. Ip Yee, included ibid., pl. 26; and a small ewer carved as a segment of a pine-tree trunk with branches and foliage in relief, from the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, published ibid., p. 24, fig. 9. This ewer is possibly the closest in the style of carving to the present brushrest. See also a scholar's wristrest, signed Zhongqian and carved with a scholar under a pine tree, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, published in Ip Yee and Laurence C.S. Tam, op.cit., Part I, pl. 22. A brushrest of closely related form, from the Lutz collection and included in the exhibition Selections from the Lutz Bamboo Collection, Denver Art Museum, Denver, 1979, cat. no. 55, was sold in our New York rooms, 18^th March 2008, lot 53.

Brushrests of this type are part of a group of bamboo carvings for the scholar's table which include a waterpot shaped after a pine tree, such as the example published in Ip Yee and Laurence C.S. Tam, op.cit., Part 2, Hong Kong, 1978, pl. 62; and a brushpot in the shape of a pine-tree trunk with the pine needles, bark and moss naturalistically rendered, an example of which was included in the exhibition Chinese Art from the Collection of H.M. King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo, 1971, cat. no. 95.