A FAMILLE-VERTE 'MAGPIE AND CHRYSANTHEMUM' INSCRIBED BRUSHPOT QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PERIOD |

of slightly waisted cylindrical form, painted to one side with a colorful magpie perching atop a twisting scholar's rock surrounded by large orbs of chrysanthemum blooms in red, blue, and black amid leaves, grasses, bamboo, and pines in assorted greens, a short poetic inscription floats above a green rock at a break in the vegetal composition, the base centered with a recessed medallion, coll. no. 1575

Marchant, London, 2006.

The brushpot has two small restored shallow chips at the mouth rim and two restored chips to the foot rim, one larger than the other. There has been restoration to losses to the overglaze blue enamels.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The poem inscribed on the brushpot reveals its relationship to the image only to the erudite observer. It reads: With the zun wine vessel in front of us under the moon we often meet, not venturing to the eastern hedge in search of fallen blossoms.
[Signed] Zai Mo

Rather than overtly describing chrysanthemums, the poet uses the term dong ling ('eastern hedge'), a reference to Tao Yuanming's (ca. 365-421) fifth poem titled 'Drinking Wine' in which he describes picking chrysanthemums in his eastern hedge. Magpie and chrysanthemum are a rebus wishing for the happiness of the entire family. The poem in turn describes the achievement of this contentment through moonlit rendezvous. The poem is accompanied by seals reading Jizhaotang, Shan xiao, and Mushiju.

Mushiju (Studio of Wood and Rock) has been identified as a private workshop in Jingdezhen specializing in literati inspired wares of exceptional quality.  A recent article by Pengliang Lu, ‘Where Potter Met Poets, A Kangxi Vase with a Poetry Gathering in Jingdezhen’, Arts of Asia, March-April 2017, pp. 98 -104 identifies the founder of Mushiju as Zhao Wenzong, a local official who moved comfortably among poets, calligraphers and artists of the period.  The superlative works from this studio illustrate the close and productive relationship between artist and artisan enjoyed during the Kangxi period. A similar brushpot with the same mark and dated 1709 from the Grandidier Collection, now in the in the Musée Guimet, Paris is illustrated in The World’s Great Collections, Oriental Ceramics, vol. 7, Tokyo, 1981, pl. 53.