AN INSCRIBED AND LACQUERED BOXWOOD WRISTREST BY LIN JIEHOU, REPUBLICAN PERIOD, DATED TO THE WUYIN AND JIMAO YEARS (IN ACCORDANCE WITH 1938-9)

of curved form, the convex side engraved with prunus blossoms borne on a thin and slender branch extending downwards issuing tiny buds, the right side with an inscription in lishu, dedicated to Zhongyi xiansheng ('Mr Zhongyi'), dated to Festival of the Slight Cold of the wuyin year and signed Mushi jushi, above a seal mark of the carver reading Lin Jiehou ke ('Carved by Lin Jiehou'), the left side with a poetic inscription about the wristrest and its material and dated to the spring of the jimao year, followed by the signature of 'The Master Of the Annex [Studio] where the works of Tao Yuanming are treasured' and 'an inscription of his own now in the calligraphy of Cundao', the concave reverse lacquered black, together with a rubbing

Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, June 1996.

Elegantly carved with a flowering prunus brunch, this wristrest bears a poetic inscription that may be translated as follows:

From boxwood whose flesh texture is more slippery than paper A wristrest is made so arm and fingers can do as they please.
But when anxious and writing quickly, why use it then!
The prunus laughs and says ‘what you say is true!’

It appears that Ruan Xingshan (1891- 1974), also known as Mushi jushi, an accomplished poet from Jiaxing, arranged a gathering with a group of friends and carvers to produce this wristrest with multiple layers of aesthetic meaning as a gift for Gu Zhongyi (1903-1965), the famous Jiaxing dramatist and drama theorist. While the carving of the flowering prunus can be attributed to Lin Zhaolu (1887-1966), zi Jiehou, hao Meian and Genxian Guanzhu, a master bamboo carver from Suzhou, who was also an accomplished painter, calligrapher and seal carver, the calligraphy was possibly designed by Gao Feng (1876-1960), zi Yutai, hao Cundao jushi, a native of Hangzhou and an accomplished calligrapher. The wristrest also bears the name of the Master of the Annex [studio] Where the Works of Tao Yuanming Are Treasured, a studio name associated with Zhou Chun (1729-1815), from Haining, located on the northeast of Hangzhou, who owned a rare copy of a Song edition of the Works of Tao Yuanming. It thus appears that a wristrest decorated with prunus and a poetic inscription by Zhou Chun, inspired Ruan Xingshan, Li Zhaolu and Gao Feng to make the present wristrest.