A LARGE BLUE AND WHITE 'RED CLIFFS' BRUSHPOT QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PERIOD |

of cylindrical form, the exterior painted to one side with a rectangular panel enclosing a scene with the poet Su Shi and companions seated at a table enjoying wine with an attendant standing by working a fly whisp under the canopy of a sampan as an oarsman at the stern poles the water while conversing with a young lady, one scholar gesturing toward a crooked pine tree growing from the vertical cliff ahead, a crane flying above near the moon and a constellation, the other side painted with Su Shi's Latter Ode to the Red Cliff, the partially unglazed based centered with a recessed medallion painted with the characters Wen zhang shan dou (mountain peak of literary works) in underglaze blue

Christie's New York, 22nd March 2007, lot 324.

There is a very shallow flake to the rim, measuring approx. 0.2 cm wide and another to the edge of the base, measuring approx. 0.3 cm wide. Otherwise, the brushpot is in overall good condition with some expected wear to the surface and minor firing imperfections, including a faint horizontal firing crack to one side near the bottom and another star-shaped one to the interior.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This brushpot is notable for the skilful craftsmanship in the rendering of both a lively scene in vivid shades of underglaze blue and the calligraphy which is inscribed in precise regular script. It illustrates a scene and the text from the famous rhapsody Hou Chibifu/Latter Ode to the Red Cliff, composed by the celebrated Northern Song poet, Su Shi (1037-1096), to commemorate his trips to the historical battlefield of Red Nose Cliffs during his political exile. Concluding with a qilu (comprised of eight lines of seven characters) of related subject, the calligraphy is likely have been inscribed by Xie Qing Zhu Ren as indicated by the signature and seal.

A Kangxi mark and period brushpot decorated with a closely related scene and inscription, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Chen Runmin, Qing Shunzhi Kangxi chao qinghua ci [Qing blue and white porcelain from the Shunzhi and Kangxi periods], Beijing, 2005, pl. 206; one was included in the exhibition Ceramics in Scholarly Taste, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore, 1993, cat. no. 76; and another was sold in these rooms, 30th March 2006, lot 312.

The concluding four-character mark in seal script, Xi Chao Chuan Gu (transmitting antiquities In the Kangxi reign), exemplifies the popular trend of referencing  Chinese antiquities in works of arts produced during this time as a means for the Manchu court to obtain support from the Han intellectual elites. A brushpot with a similar mark, but inscribed in underglaze red, preserved in the Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, is illustrated in Xu Huping, ed., Qingdaiciqi.Nanjing bowuguan zhencang xilie/Imperial Kiln Porcelain of Qing Dynasty.Gems of Collections in the Nanjing Museum, Shanghai, 1998, pl. 2. See also another brushpot with a similar seal mark in underglaze blue, sold at Christie’s New York, 4th June 1987.

The four-character mark on the base of the present piece, wen zhang shan dou, is also found on a brushpot, but decorated with another scene from Su Shi’s Qian Chibi Fu/Former Ode to the Red Cliff, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 31st October 1995, lot 191; and another sold at Christie’s New York, 25th March 2010, lot 957.