A BAMBOO ‘FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE’ BRUSHPOT SIGNED QINGXI, QING DYNASTY, JIAQING PERIOD, DATED TO THE WUCHEN YEAR (IN ACCORDANCE WITH 1808/1809)

carved with a continuous scene depicting a village scene with figures engaged in various activities, the scene titled Shancun guike tu ('Visitor Returning Home from a Mountain Village') and dated to the dongri (Winter day) of the wuchen year (1808/1809), followed by a signature reading Qing Xi, the patina of a warm golden-brown colour marked with characteristic streaks

A private Japanese collection.
Brian Harkins, London, July 2006.

The brushpot is preserved in good overall condition. There is an acute but stable age crack, only affecting the exterior, as visible in 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."

Compare a bamboo brushpot incised in running script with a poem by Wang Wei (699-759) and signed Qingxi shanren, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28th November 2005, lot 1479; and another, carved with the motif Literary Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion in low relief and signed Qingxi shanren, from the collection of Dr. Ip Yee, illustrated in Ip Yee and Laurence C.S. Tam, Chinese Bamboo Carving, Hong Kong, 1978, vol. 1, pl. 79, where the cyclical mark on the piece is dated to either 1807 or 1867. For a discussion on bamboo carvings, including those signed Qingxi see Wang Shixiang, ‘Pushuo mili de Qing xisong xikuan zhuke’, Shoucang jia, vol. 19, 1996, pp. 20-6.