A SUPERBLY CARVED BAMBOO 'HORSES OF MUWANG' BRUSHPOT 17TH – EARLY 18TH CENTURY |

of cylindrical form, the exterior deftly carved in sophisticated high and low relief with eight horses and four grooms in a riverside landscape, depicting a groomsman hauling a horse from behind intertwining pine trees, beside two horses by the shore, one recumbent and the other standing and sniffing its hoof, in the river a further groomsman standing ready to bathe a horse, in front of another groom lugging the reins of a backing off horse by the shore, in a distance a figure holding a bucket feeding a horse beside another drinking water from a basin, opposite two knotted pine trees and a horse with its head turned backwards, the bamboo patinated to a dark brown tone

Purchased in Hong Kong, 1964.
Bluett & Sons, London.
Collection of Mrs Irene Dreyfus, 1964.
Hugh Moss, London, 1969.
An eminent English collection.

The brushpot has a 3.7x4 cm rectangular area of repair to the interior, and a shallow polished area (1.7cm wide) below the rim. There are some small worm holes to the base, expected surface wear and age cracks along the rims.
"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."

In its outstanding workmanship, in which the figures and horses are carved with the uttermost naturalistic sensitivity and the natural contours of the landscape skilfully cut out in varying levels of relief, this superb brushpot is a delightful object destined for the scholar’s desk. Although unsigned, its distinctive composition and rendering of carved details demonstrated the carver’s awareness of contemporaneous works by celebrated bamboo masters such as Wu Zhifan and Gu Jue. In fact, the representations are so close that the creator of this brushpot could very probably be a follower or amongst the close circle of these masters. Compare a Wu Zhifan bamboo brushpot decorated with a scene of washing horses, with a closely related composition and similar zigzag orientation of the pine boughs, formerly in the Qing court collection and now in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Bamboo. Wood. Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings, Shanghai, 2001, pl. 31; another brushpot carved with a similar subject is included ibid., pl. 33. See also a bamboo brushpot by Gu Jue, with analogous treatment to the scaled bark and truncated roots to the pine trees, sold at Woolley and Wallis Salisbury, 23rd May 2012, lot 191.

The scene depicts groomsmen attending to the legendary eight horses of Mu Wang. It is said that Mu Wang travelled around his kingdom in a chariot drawn by eight mighty horses in search of the heavenly paradise. The eight horses were all given a distinctive name and were eventually liberated from their harnesses and let out to graze after many years of faithful service to the king.

This brushpot had a long history in the West, where its provenance can be traced back to the 1960s. Not only did it pass through the hands of two eminent dealers in London, Bluett & Sons and Hugh Moss, it also belonged to the collection of Mrs Irene Dreyfus, who had originally collected the legendary Chenghua doucai ‘chicken cup’, sold at a record-breaking price in our rooms on 8th April 2014, lot 1.