A large blue and white 'Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove' brushpot, Ming dynasty, Chongzhen period | 明崇禎 青花竹林七賢圖筆筒

Acquired in Hong Kong, 27th April 2000.

Marchant, London.

来源：

購於香港，2000年4月27日

馬錢特，倫敦

Depicting the Seven Sages leisurely conversing or taking a stroll amongst a continuous riverscape, the present brushpot is exquisitely painted, showcasing the masterful skill of the painter. Delightfully animated, one of the five seated sages engaged in conversation holds up his fan, gesturing and speaking while the other four eagerly listen in. 

The ‘Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove’ included the seven scholars Ji Kang, Ruan Ji, Ruan Xian, Xiang Xiu, Liu Ling, Shan Dao, and Wang Rong. Advocating the Daoist principles of tranquility, inaction and return to nature, they sought to distance themselves from worldly concerns, and gathered amid bamboo groves to engage in literary exchanges and 'pure' discussions. Literary gatherings were a popular theme decorating brushpots of this period, which reflected the flourishing literati culture of the time. 

For brushpots depicting the same subject matter, see one in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Seventeenth Century Jingdezhen Porcelain from the Shanghai Museum and Butler Collections. Beauties Enchantment, Shanghai, 2006, cat. no. 16; another, in the Sam Marsh Collection, illustrated in Sam Marsh, Brushpot. A Collector's View, Hong Kong, 2020, pp 104-105.