2012年 水松石山房主人 （生於1943年）

設墨紙本 卷軸
「水松石山房」「攜杖老人」「無為」及「一二三」印

The overall condition is extremely good.
"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."

INSCRIPTION:

One of the Cascade Master’s vine-staves appeared to be less prepossessing than the rest, but it was stout, sturdy and reliable.  It also had another quality which was quite out of the ordinary.   It had a small natural hook near its head, so that a gourd of plum wine could be suspended from it for a day in the mountains.  So my friend used this staff whenever we took wine with us on outings.  After a day in the mountains drinking my friend’s alarmingly strong plum wine, a good sturdy staff to steady your way home was, indeed, useful but what puzzled me was that the plum wine we drank in the mountains was so much stronger than anything I had ever brewed.  He appeared to use a similar method of making wine to my own, and his plum trees were no different, although since he had lived in the same mountain retreat for a very long time, they were perhaps more mature than some I had grown in various retreats, and his wine we drank at home was no stronger than mine, which was also puzzling.  He explained it to me one day when I had nearly tumbled off a cliff-top into a mountain pool far below after drinking a little too much of it and standing on the brink to do a little whistling.  He was, he told me, in the habit of transferring some wine from his clay pots to the carrying gourd a day or two before his trip, leaving it hanging on the hook of ‘Plum-Blossom Spring’.  One of the unusual powers of the staff was that it transformed the light wine into more potent liquor.  I had never before encountered a staff with this particular quality.  Although I have to admit, it was certainly a useful one for parties and outings. 

Plum-Blossom Spring

he explained, had this quality of strengthening things, and not only wine,  from the outset.  He had felt it the moment he cut it free from its vine, so he had deliberately carved its surface to resemble a gnarled old prunus branch, which brought this power to the surface, where he could harness it.  It was the only time he freely admitted to the use of his chisel on any of his seven vine-staves.  But he certainly harnessed it, inspiring a good deal of fine poetry, pianting and music from the two of us, and occasionally from other guests who happened to seek him out.  Inscribed by the Master of the Water Pine and Stone Retreat recalling ancient pleasures at the Terrace of the Garden at the Edge of the Universe, 2012.