11th Sep, 2025 11:00
The Collection of Sam and Myrna Myers Part 1
17
A BLUE AND WHITE DRUM-FORM BRUSH AND INK STAND, MING DYNASTY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
Sold for €3,900
including Buyer's Premium
China, 16th century. The slightly domed top with a central mouth encircled by lotus petals, surrounded by rectangular and circular apertures for brushes and ink sticks separated by ruyi-heads against a diapered ground, the sides similarly painted in inky shades of cobalt blue to depict a continuous palace garden scene with scholars engaged in leisurely pursuits such as painting, reading, playing music, and weiqi (go).
Provenance: The Collection of Sam and Myrna Myers, Paris, France. Acquired between circa 1965-2012.
Condition: Overall well-preserved with minor wear and firing irregularities including dark spots and small firing cracks, little fritting, a circumferential crack above the foot with minor associated glaze flakes and remnants of adhesive.
Weight: 983 g
Dimensions: Diameter 14.5 cm
The use of this vessel is clarified by a painting in the Princeton University Art Museum, accession number y1979-95, depicting the famous philosopher Wang Yangming (1472-1529) seated at his writing desk which illustrates a similar ink stand on his desk with three brushes placed in it, together with a small vase of flowers, an inkstone, and a water dropper or paperweight. The rectangular section is naturally assumed to hold an inkstick as confirmed by the late Ming scholar Wen Zhenheng, who in Zhang wu zhi (A Treatise on Superfluous Things) under the heading of brushpots wrote: '[...] there are also drum-shaped ones with holes in them for inserting brushes and ink.'
Literature comparison:
Compare a related blue and white ink stand and brush holder of octagonal form, with an apocryphal Xuande mark and dated to the 16th century, 12.2 cm diameter, from the Percival David Foundation and now in the British Museum, registration number PDF,B.605.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams London, 3 November 2022, lot 1
Price: GBP 20,400 or approx. EUR 26,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A blue and white circular brush and ink stand, Chang ming fu gui mark, late 16th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, decoration, and size (13 cm). Note the different motifs and auspicious four-character mark.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 22 March 2012, lot 1268
Price: USD 12,500 or approx. EUR 15,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare blue and white drum-form brush and ink stand, Ming dynasty, mid-16th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, decoration, and size (13.3 cm). Note the different motifs and auspicious four-character mark.
China, 16th century. The slightly domed top with a central mouth encircled by lotus petals, surrounded by rectangular and circular apertures for brushes and ink sticks separated by ruyi-heads against a diapered ground, the sides similarly painted in inky shades of cobalt blue to depict a continuous palace garden scene with scholars engaged in leisurely pursuits such as painting, reading, playing music, and weiqi (go).
Provenance: The Collection of Sam and Myrna Myers, Paris, France. Acquired between circa 1965-2012.
Condition: Overall well-preserved with minor wear and firing irregularities including dark spots and small firing cracks, little fritting, a circumferential crack above the foot with minor associated glaze flakes and remnants of adhesive.
Weight: 983 g
Dimensions: Diameter 14.5 cm
The use of this vessel is clarified by a painting in the Princeton University Art Museum, accession number y1979-95, depicting the famous philosopher Wang Yangming (1472-1529) seated at his writing desk which illustrates a similar ink stand on his desk with three brushes placed in it, together with a small vase of flowers, an inkstone, and a water dropper or paperweight. The rectangular section is naturally assumed to hold an inkstick as confirmed by the late Ming scholar Wen Zhenheng, who in Zhang wu zhi (A Treatise on Superfluous Things) under the heading of brushpots wrote: '[...] there are also drum-shaped ones with holes in them for inserting brushes and ink.'
Literature comparison:
Compare a related blue and white ink stand and brush holder of octagonal form, with an apocryphal Xuande mark and dated to the 16th century, 12.2 cm diameter, from the Percival David Foundation and now in the British Museum, registration number PDF,B.605.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams London, 3 November 2022, lot 1
Price: GBP 20,400 or approx. EUR 26,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A blue and white circular brush and ink stand, Chang ming fu gui mark, late 16th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, decoration, and size (13 cm). Note the different motifs and auspicious four-character mark.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 22 March 2012, lot 1268
Price: USD 12,500 or approx. EUR 15,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare blue and white drum-form brush and ink stand, Ming dynasty, mid-16th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, decoration, and size (13.3 cm). Note the different motifs and auspicious four-character mark.
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