AN UNUSUAL BLUE AND WHITE 'THREE FRIENDS AND MAGPIES' BRUSHPOT QING DYNASTY, YONGZHENG PERIOD

the cylindrical body boldly painted to the exterior with a continuous scene of magpies amongst the 'Three Friends of Winter', depicting a magpie in flight above seven others perched on a pine tree with an arched knotted bough and side branches bearing luxuriant needles, with two further magpies standing on pierced rockwork and another two on the ground pecking grains, all set in a garden landscape issuing long leafy bamboo and a gnarled tree issuing prunus blossoms, the glazed concave base with an unglazed ring around the countersunken centre

A French private collection.
J.J. Lally & Co., New York.

The brushpot is in good condition with just a faint bodyline to the unglazed ring on the base measuring approx. 0.6 cm.
"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 brushpot is notable for its delicate rendering of magpies perched on pine brunches that unravels like a scroll painting. This motif, which was popular during the Yongzheng Emperor’s reign, was inspired by Chinese ink and colour paintings of the bird-and-flower genre that had provided inspiration to the potters at the imperial kilns since at least the early fifteenth century. The round shape of the brushpot provided a most suitable format for such depictions, as the surface of the vessel could be treated like a horizontal scroll.

Compare a brushpot painted with a similar motif sold in our New York rooms, 6th December 1989, lot 196, and again at Christie’s New York, 27th November 1991, lot 377. See also a Yongzheng mark and period brushpot painted in copper red with magpies on flowering prunus branches, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Qingdai yuyao ciqi [Qing porcelains from the imperial kilns preserved in the Palace Museum], vol. I, pt. 2, Beijing, 2005, pl. 61.