清乾隆 御製剔紅雕漆「小園閒詠五首」御製詩筆筒 《乾隆御製》款 「乾」「隆」印

of cylindrical form resting on a rounded foot with four short 'C'-scrolled feet, finely carved to the exterior with a twenty-four-columned imperial poem in kaishu, ending with a four-character mark reading Qianlong yuzhi, followed by two seals Qian and Long, all against a diaper pattern ground, set betwen a raised border at the mouth and the footrim decorated with a floral diaper border, the base lacquered black

香港蘇富比2006年4月10日，編號1526

There are tiny nicks to the interior of the rim. As visible in the detail of the inscription, there are minor losses to several of the characters, but they are all intact and legible. There are also tiny bruises to the foot. The colour in the catalogue photo is accurate.
"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."

Elegantly decorated with imperial poems carved in perfectly formed kaishu script, brushpots of this type are rare and only two other examples appear to have been published, both in the Palace Museum, Beijing, one illustrated in 200 Objects You Should Know: Carved Lacquer Ware, Beijing, 2008, pl. 162, and the other included in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Lacquer Wares of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 2006, pl. 32, from the Qing Court collection. The poem adorning this brushpot was composed by the Qianlong emperor, entitled Xiao yuan yong wu shou [Five verses from the small leisure orchard], and is recorded in the Text from the Anthology of Qianlong Poems (Qing gaozong yuzhi shi wen quanji. Le shan tang ding ben), juan 27, jin te shi, p. 5.

The poems adorning this vase are also found on a brushpot and inscribed in iron-red, included in the exhibition Sun Yingzhou de taoci shijie [The ceramics world of Sun Yingzhou], Palace Museum, Beijing, 2003, cat. no. 161, together with another example with a different set of poems, cat. no. 161. Simple yet striking, brushpots decorated only with imperial inscriptions first appeared during the Kangxi reign (1662-1722) on porcelain, a design that was revived under the Qianlong emperor. The underglaze blue and copper red of the Kangxi prototypes was more often replaced by black enamel and occasionally by iron red. See a Kangxi brushpot inscribed with a hundred shou characters in underglaze red, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III), Shanghai, 2000, pl. 166; and another Qianlong example decorated with a poem in iron red, sold in our rooms, 8th April 2011, lot 2809.