A BAMBOO 'FISHERMAN AND WOOD GATHERER' BRUSHPOT, SIGNED WU ZHIFAN QING DYNASTY, LATE 17TH CENTURY

raised on three feet, carved in low relief with a continuous scene depicting a fisherman sitting on a boat whilst looking up to and converseing with a wood gatherer seated on a tree branch, the setting detailed with naturalistically rendered gnarled wutong trees, incised with a signature by Wu Zhifan, the bamboo patinated to a rich golden brown colour

The brushpot is in good overall condition. There are some expected age cracks extending from the bottom base, including some star cracks with old refills on the bottom.
"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."

This brushpot is signed by the master bamboo carver Wu Zhifan, zi Luzhen and hao Donghai daoren. Active in the early Qing period, he was a native of Jiading in Jiangsu province and later settled in Tianjin. Wu is said to have acquired the traditional Jiading style and excelled in high-relief carving. He is however renowned for his carvings of figures and landscape in shallow relief against an almost plain background. In the early 19th century Jin Yuan, in his Zhuren lu [Record of bamboo carvers], Gujiu shudian ed., Hangzhou, 1983, notes that ‘Those that are now in circulation of his brushpots decorated with human figures, flowers and birds as well as his wrist rests inscribed with running and cursive script are elegant and graceful, vigorous and sturdy’ (see A:6b). A brushpot signed Wu Zhifan in the Shanghai Museum, with a similar rendition of a bare chested man seated under a tree, is illustrated in Wang Shixiang and Wang-Go Weng, Bamboo Carving of China, China Institute in America, New York, 1983, cat. Fig. 13 p. 28.

Further bamboo brushpots signed Wu Zhifan include two in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Bamboo, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carving, Shanghai, 2001, pls 30 and 31; one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum’s exhibition Jiangxin yu xianggong Ming Qing diaoke zhan. Zhu mu guohe pian, Taipei, 2009, cat. no.7; one included in the Min Chiu Society exhibition Splendour of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 192, cat. no. 257; and another, from the Walter and Mona Lutz collection, sold in our New York rooms, 18th March 2008, lot 44. See also another brushpot included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Arts from the Scholar’s Studio, Fung Ping Shan Museum, Hong Kong, 1986, cat no. 35, where is it mentioned that his fame spread after Emperor Qianlong received an example of Wu’s work as tribute, and recognising the superior quality of the carving, he enquired about his identity (see p. 76).

The subject matter alludes to a piece of lyre musical composition, Yu Qiao Wenda [‘Dialogue between the Fisherman and the Woodcutter’], which was written in as early as or before the 1560s.  Its melodious tune reflects a conversational dialogue between said characters and their respective reclusive lifestyles that deviated from contemporary frivolous matters. Compare an unsigned brushpot carved with the same subject from the collection of Dr Ip Yee, sold in these rooms 22nd November 1984, lot 861.