A PAIR OF EBONY ‘PRUNUS’ SCROLL WEIGHTS QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY

each of slender rectangular form, the upper face incised and filled in with gilt with a continuous design of flowering prunus branches, inscribed in the upper right corner on one wushen xiari Zixiang xie (‘written on a summer day of the wushen year by Zixiang’, corresponding to 1848), the other signed Linshi shouke (‘carved by the hand of Linshi’)

Sydney L. Moss Ltd., June 1994.

There are a few minor nicks, predominantly at the corners to one, some minor scratches and rubbing to the gilding on both, but overall these scroll weights are in good condition. The incised decoration is gilded and not enamelled in white as the illustration could suggest in the catalogue.
"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 inscription on this pair of scroll weights suggests that the carver, signed Lin Shi or Linshi, had copied a painting by the famous artist Zhang Xiong (1803-1886), whose zi was Zixiang. However, whether they collaborated, or the carver Lin simply borrowed the design from one of Zhang’s paintings, is not made clear in the inscription. Although the carver remains unidentified, for examples of works by Zhang see a thumbring (lot 184) and a brushpot (lot 154) in this catalogue.

Scroll weights come in many forms; they can be a jade pebble or a small carving, however, long wooden weights were generally used to hold long handscrolls or books. Interestingly, the Ming dynasty scholar-artist Wen Zhenheng (1585-1645), in his work Zhangwu zhi [Treatise on superfluous things] mentions that there were scroll weights that were made to contain knives and hole-punchers for book binding.

For examples of scroll weights see one carved in zitan, of similar rectangular form decorated with dragons amongst clouds, sold in our New York rooms, 29th November 1994, lot 419; and a pair made of hardwood weights inscribed with a date corresponding to 1825, sold at Christie’s New York, 19th September 2007, lot 13.