A FINE IMPERIAL SPINACH JADE BRUSHPOT QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

of cylindrical form rising from a slightly concave base, deftly carved in deep and undercut relief with four figures holding various objects such as coral and a ruyi sceptre standing  around an elephant bearing a howdah carrying the 'Three Fruits' and gold ingots, two further figures one holding a bird and the other with plumes of feather, and two equestrian figures looking down onto a child holding a beribboned brocade ball with a Buddhist lion beside an old man pushing a cart, all set in a landscape with gnarled pine, wutong, paulownia, willow, jagged rocks and misty cloud scrolls, inscribed with four characters reading tian \fang lu gong ('bringing tribute from Central Asia') on one of overhanging rocks, the surface of the rim with an indistinct inscription, the stone of a mottled deep green with black and russet-tinged inclusions

Sotheby's London, 3rd April 1951, lot 189.
Sotheby's London, 5th May 1959, lot 164.

The imperial inscription on the mouthrim has been slightly ground down, but parts of some characters are still visible. Apart from some typical chips and bruises, the overall condition is very good. The actual colour is very similar to the catalogue illustration.
"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."

This brushpot is impressive for its fine and intricately carved scene of various figures in a dramatic setting. The extent of undercutting in depicting the range of figural poses, the inclusion of an elephant and the combination of trees and overhanging cliffs reveals the dexterity of the carver in both the medium and subject. Such naturalistically captured scenes represented a retreat from the sophisticated order of the Imperial court and exemplified the ideal of the scholar who has withdrawn from the mundane. Thus, like many literati objects this utilitarian brushpot becomes a vehicle for contemplation and a touchstone for the scholar's imagination by virtue of its craftsmanship and decoration together with the use of a precious material.

A related brushpot in the Sir Joseph Hotung collection, on loan in the British Museum, London, is illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, pl. 29:18, where Rawson notes that the artisan of the British Museum piece used carving techniques to produce the effects of painting rather than making decorative use of the peculiarities of the stone. Further similarly impressive jade brushpots are known from important museums and private collections; see a spinach-green jade brushpot carved with sages in caverns in a mountainous landscape, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in Geoffery Wills, Jade of the East, New York, 1972, pls. 120-121, together with another decorated with sages in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, pl. 126; one illustrated in Pierre-F. Schneeberger, The Baur Collection. Geneva, Geneva, 1976, pl. B98; and another depicting children in a landscape, from the Duca da Padoua, Piedmonte, and the T.B. Kitson collections, sold twice in our London rooms, 10^th October 190, lot 154, and 8^th June 1982, lot 310.

Compare also similarly carved dark-green brushpots of slightly larger size, such as two sold in our New York rooms, 19^th March 2008, lot 16; and the other from the William Clayton collection, 19^th March 2007, lot 50; one sold in these rooms, 9^th October 2007, lot 1336; and another sold in our Paris rooms, 9^th June 2011, lot 159.

The inscription tianfang lu gong can be translated as 'bringing tribute from Central Asia', as Tianfang was a name for the area used during the Ming and Qing dynasties.