清乾隆 木隨形雕竹樁橫琴高士圖筆筒 《時乾隆乙丑秋七月既望》、《墨雲主人識》款 「韻木」印

題識：
老樹磋砑匝澗生，彈琴樹底設淒清，有時弦到真悲處，古戰場中蟋蟀聲。

Notable for its vibrant and naturalistic modelling in the form of a tree trunk, this brushpot is inscribed with the poem entitled ‘Listening to a Zither’, by the Ming scholar Chen Jiru (1558-1639), which is recorded in Meigong shichao [Drafts of poetry by Master Mei], in Siku jinhui shu congkan [Banned books from the complete library of the Four Treasures], Beijing, 1997, vol. 67. The poem can be translated as follows:

As old trees murmur chaya, sound filling the mountain ravine,
A zither is plucked beneath a tree moonlight cold and clear.
Sometimes when the playing reaches a truly sad part,
Here at this ancient battleground crickets join in with song.

The poem is followed by the signature Moyun zhuren Shi ('recorded in appreciation by the Master of Ink Clouds') and the seal yunmu ('toneful wood'), both unrecorded. As Chen Jiru’s poetry was banned during the Qianlong reign, it is possible that the carver has chosen to omit details that may associate this brushpot with a particular scholar in order to avoid being persecuted for using banned poetry.