A RETICULATED BAMBOO ‘QIAO SISTERS’ PERFUMIER, ATTRIBUTED TO JIADING LATE MING / EARLY QING DYNASTY

of slender hollow cylindrical form, deftly carved in low relief and openwork with a continuous scene of the two Qiao sisters seated on a bench, both reading from a single book, with one sister holding a fly-whisk draped across her left shoulder, the reverse with a natural stone table set with a volume of books and an inkstone with a brush laying beside it, all set in a pine tree and rock landscape, the bamboo of a deep reddish brown patina, mounted with a zitan top and base

Apart from some ink stains at the bottom on the reverse and a few minuscule nicks on the rims at the junction with the zitan mounts, the overall condition is very good. The actual colour is of a darker and warmer reddish-brown tone, not pale orange as the illustration would suggest in the catalogue.
"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."

This finely fashioned incense burner, carved with the popular scene of the two Qiao sisters, represents the height of bamboo carving in the late Ming and early Qing periods. The Qiao sisters in Chinese history became legendary for their beauty and for marrying two famous war heroes. They were the daughters of the official Qiao Xuan (109-183) of the late Han dynasty, with one marrying the warlord Sun Ce, and the other marrying Sun’s close friend, General Zhou Yu.

See a bamboo perfumier carved in relief with the same subject matter of the two Qiao sisters, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st December 2010, lot 3192; and another offered at Christie’s New York, 19th September 2006, lot 44. Bamboo brushpots decorated with the same theme were also popular; for example, see one illustrated in Wang Shixiang, Zhuke jianshang, Taiwan, 1996, pl. 14; and another, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is published in Craig Clunas, Chinese Carving, London, 1996, fig. 46.