AN EXCEPTIONAL AND RARE CARVED BAMBOO INCENSE HOLDER, BY SHA SHENZHI QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

of slender cylindrical form, well carved and pierced with a winding landscape of pine and wutong trees, the setting accentuated with large looming boulders and jagged rockwork, depicted with the nine old men of Xiang Shan gathered in three small groups engaging in leisurely pursuits beneath the trees, including practicing calligraphy, playing the zither (qin) and meditating, several attendants preparing tea and holding books nearby, inscribed with an inscription reading sha shi next to a seal mark reading shen zhi, the bamboo with a smooth reddish-brown patina, mounted with a base and removable cap

Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London.

Emperor, Scholar, Artisan, Monk. The Creative Personality in Chinese Works of Art, Sydney L. Moss, London, 1984, cat. no. 45.

Sha Shenzhi, also known as Lifu, was the son of Sha Qingyan, a connoisseur of ancient inscriptions on stone. Following his father’s footsteps, Sha Shenzhi excelled at calligraphy, especially seal (zhuan shu) and clerical (li shu) script, and was known as a talented seal carver.

For other closely related bamboo incense holders, see an example carved with the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove and signed Shi Tianzhang, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings. The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 56; another, from the Simon Kwan collection, included in the exhibition Ming and Qing Bamboo, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2000, cat. no. 100; and a third, signed Gu Jue, from the collection of Dr. Ip Yee, included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Arts from the Scholar’s Studio, Fung Ping Shan Museum, Hong Kong, 1986, cat. no. 233. See also an incense holder attributed to the 16th/17th century, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum A Special Exhibition of Incense Burners and Perfumers throughout the Dynasties, Taipei, 1994, cat. no. 106.

Carved with a lively scene of figures pursuing scholarly activities, this piece is notable for the amusing small details which create a sense of naturalism. For example, an attendant watches with curiosity at a group of scholars playing chess, forgetting another scholar is waiting for the book he is holding.