Sold for €26,000
including Buyer's Premium
Expert’s note: The present brushpot is extraordinary in how the master carver transformed the vessel into a three-dimensional multi-layered canvas, with the image continuing and revealing itself through the physical turning of the vessel by the beholder. It is also noteworthy that to produce such a magnificent vessel, a very large jade boulder of remarkable quality would have been used, with the carving process and hollowing of the brushpot creating significant wastage of material, underscoring the lavish expenditure in the process of making this exceptional scholarly vessel.
China, 1736-1795. Of cylindrical form, raised on three short ogee-bracket feet. Deftly carved in deep relief with a continuous scene of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove engaged in various pursuits and accompanied by their boy attendants in the eponymous bamboo grove amid craggy rockwork, towering pines, and swirling clouds. The partially translucent stone is of a dark spinach-green hue with expected icy inclusions and dark spots.
Provenance: Collection of Roger Meffreys, and thence by descent in the same family. A private collection in France, acquired from the above. Roger Meffreys (1899-1976) was a French diplomat who served in China between 1936 and 1946. His first position in Shanghai was General Consul, later being assigned the position of Ambassador for France in Beijing until 1946. Meffreys became enamored with Chinese culture and works of art, frequently visiting Beijing’s antique shops and meeting famous artists including Xu Beihong. He built an exceptional collection, which he then took with him after his appointment as Ambassador ended. Meffreys continued in various diplomatic positions in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand, before retiring in his hometown of Grenoble.
Condition: Very good condition with natural wear, traces of use, two small chips around one foot, possibly with an associated minuscule repair. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which have developed into small hairline cracks.
Weight: 1,897.7 g
Dimensions: Height 16.1 cm, Diameter 13.4 cm
Expert’s note: The present brushpot is extraordinary in how the master carver transformed the vessel into a three-dimensional multi-layered canvas, with the image continuing and revealing itself through the physical turning of the vessel by the beholder. It is also noteworthy that to produce such a magnificent vessel, a very large jade boulder of remarkable quality would have been used, with the carving process and hollowing of the brushpot creating significant wastage of material, underscoring the lavish expenditure in the process of making this exceptional scholarly vessel.
China, 1736-1795. Of cylindrical form, raised on three short ogee-bracket feet. Deftly carved in deep relief with a continuous scene of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove engaged in various pursuits and accompanied by their boy attendants in the eponymous bamboo grove amid craggy rockwork, towering pines, and swirling clouds. The partially translucent stone is of a dark spinach-green hue with expected icy inclusions and dark spots.
Provenance: Collection of Roger Meffreys, and thence by descent in the same family. A private collection in France, acquired from the above. Roger Meffreys (1899-1976) was a French diplomat who served in China between 1936 and 1946. His first position in Shanghai was General Consul, later being assigned the position of Ambassador for France in Beijing until 1946. Meffreys became enamored with Chinese culture and works of art, frequently visiting Beijing’s antique shops and meeting famous artists including Xu Beihong. He built an exceptional collection, which he then took with him after his appointment as Ambassador ended. Meffreys continued in various diplomatic positions in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand, before retiring in his hometown of Grenoble.
Condition: Very good condition with natural wear, traces of use, two small chips around one foot, possibly with an associated minuscule repair. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which have developed into small hairline cracks.
Weight: 1,897.7 g
Dimensions: Height 16.1 cm, Diameter 13.4 cm
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