AN INSCRIBED BAMBOO BRUSHPOT CALLIGRAPHY BY LI YOUCHEN QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY, DATED TO 1867

of cylindrical form with a slightly bulging base raised on three low feet, the exterior incised in running script with a poem by the Tang dynasty poet Wang Wei on mountain scenery in autumn, followed by the date dingmao dongri ('A winter day of dingmao year', corresponding to 1867), signed Qingxi Sanren shu ('Inscribed by Qingxi Sanren'), the bamboo patinated to an attractive golden-brown colour

Christie’s Hong Kong, 28th November 2005, lot 1479.

Apart from a few small scratches and an old minute nick on the rim and another tiny one on the footrim, the condition is very good. The actual colour is of a deeper and warmer hazelnut-brown tone, less orange, compared to the catalogue illustration.
"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."

The present finely carved brushpot bears the signature of Li Zengzuo, more commonly known as Li Youchen, whose sobriquet was Qingxi sanren.  Li was a Shanghai artist, especially skilled in calligraphy, in particular the cursive and regular scripts. His name appears in the Shanghai newspaper Shenbao in 1879 and 1880 and in Shibao in 1907, for he was one of the many artists who marketed their works for disaster-relief causes.

The inscription is adapted from Wang Wei’s (699-759) poem titled Shan Ju Qiu Ming ('My Mountain Villa in an Autumn Evening') and may be translated as follows:

          In the empty hills, after a fresh rain,
          The air turns autumnal with the evening.
          The bright moon shines amid the pines;
          The clear fountain flows upon the stones.
          Noise from the bamboos—washer girls come home;
          Movement in the lotuses—fisher boats drift down.
          Who would have thought spring’s perfumes would wane?
          But the Prince may tarry here.

Another bamboo brushpot inscribed with the same signature Qingxi shanren, from the collection of Dr. Ip Yee, is illustrated in Ip Yee and Laurence C. S. Tam, Chinese Bamboo Carving, Hong Kong, 1978 and 1982, part 1, pl. 79.