清道光 壽山石刻「山水」圖筆洗 《道光己酉行有恆堂製》款

the water vessel with flat mouth, the sides slightly tapering towards the base, the exterior lightly incised with a continuous landscape scene with a scholar fishing from a sampan between rocky banks, beneath a flock of flying birds, the river scene giving way to rocky mountains with various trees, all subtly accentuated by the natural colours in the stone, the slightly recessed underside crisply engraved with nine characters in clerical script reading Daoguang jiyou Xingyouheng Tang zhi (‘Made by the Hall of Constancy in the jiyou year of the Daoguang period’, corresponding to 1849), the stone of a creamy-beige tone with natural veining and patches of pale green and vermillion red

定親王載銓收藏，1849-1854年間
倫敦蘇富比1979年12月6日，編號1026
Sydney L. Moss Ltd，倫敦，1983年5月

Gerard Tsang 及 Hugh Moss，《文玩萃珍》，香港大學馮平山博物館，香港，1986年，編號111

Michel Beurdeley 及 M-Th. Lambert-Brouillet，《L’eunuque aux trois joyaux. Collectionneurs et esthetes chinois》，弗里堡，1984年，頁155，圖108 及109

The washer is in overall good condition with only an old tiny nick on the edge of the rim and light wear to the incised decoration (showing on the catalogue illustration). The actual colour is consistent with the catalogue photo.
"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."

The Xingyouheng Tang mark identifies this exquisite water vessel as having been the property of the fifth Prince Ding, Zaiquan. For his biography see Arthur W. Hummel, Eminent Chinese of the Ch’ing Period, Taipei, 1991, pp. 728–729. Zaiquan attended the palace school for princes and in 1808 began to study under the court calligrapher and artist Tang Jinzhao (1772-1856). In 1816 he was appointed a nobleman of the tenth rank. He was a great-great-grandson of the Qianlong emperor and while his birth date is uncertain, he died in 1854.

Tsang and Moss, op.cit., p. 140, describe the present water vessel belonging to a type that was used in conjunction with a small ladle to provide water for the inkstone. A number of art objects are known bearing Zaiquan’s signature. He was a keen art collector and seems to have favoured identifying some of his pieces with his studio name. He may have employed a craftsman who wrote his inscriptions over the years as the style of the seal-script mark, seen on the present washer, is similar to that found on other pieces attributed to him.