A SPINACH-GREEN JADE 'LANDSCAPE' BRUSHPOT WITH ORIGINAL WHITE JADE STAND QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

the cylindrical brushpot modelled resting on a countersunk base, meticulously worked around the exterior with a continuous scene depicting a rocky and jagged landscape laden with verdant vegetation including overhanging wutong, pine and willow trees, the lower section subtly detailed with streaming waters, the setting further decorated with pavilions, a bridge and a balustrade, along with figures, including an old man with an attendant, all below ruyi-shaped cloud scrolls, the stone of a rich spinach-green colour with dark speckles, the circular white stand of a variegated off-white colour, the top reticulated with a stylised lotus bloom roundel, all resting on a constricted waist and six openwork ruyi feet interspersed with six smaller openwork ruyi blooms

Collection of George de Menasce (1890-1967).
Spink & Son Ltd., London.

The George de Menasce Collection, Part II, Spink & Son Ltd., London, 1972, cat. no. 301.

The brushpot is in overall good condition with just insignificant nicks to the fragile extremities on the exterior, including the tips of the leaves. There is also a tiny shallow nick to the footrim. The stand has been sympathetically restored.
"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."

An otherworldly quality is captured in this brushpot through the enigmatic landscape, created through the varying depths of carving of the hanging trees and rocks which cast dramatic and mysterious shadows when light passes through. The dexterity of the carver is further evidenced in his ability to capture a sense of naturalism, as seen through the different textures of trees and flowing water. Brushpots carved with intimate landscapes were a favoured object for the scholar’s studio as the rugged scenes represented a retreat from the bureaucratic duties of life as a court official and exemplified the idea of the scholar who has withdrawn from the mundane. Thus the utilitarian brushpot becomes a vehicle for contemplation and a touchstone for the scholar’s imagination by virtue of its craftsmanship, decoration and use of precious stone.

Three brushpots of similar narrow shape and carved with figures in landscape were sold in our London rooms, the first, 24th November 1964, lot 161, the second, 6th July 1965, lot 82, and the third, sold first in our New York rooms, 7th/8th April 1988, lot 132, and again in our London rooms, 11th May 2016, lot 100; and a white jade example was sold in our New York rooms, 7th/8th April 1988, lot 158. See also a spinach-green jade brushpot of wider form but carved in a similar style, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo yuqi quanji [Complete Collection of Chinese Jade], vol. 6, Shijiazhuang, 1993, pl. 278; and another, inscribed with a cyclical date corresponding to 1794, from the collection of Richard J. Salisbury and Mrs A Hamilton Rice, sold in our New York rooms, 24th November 1970, lot 20, and again in these rooms, 25th April 2004, lot 12.