A SMALL FINELY CARVED BAMBOO BRUSHPOT BY ZHOU ZHIYAN, QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY |

of slender cylindrical form, raised on three small feet, the exterior liberally carved with leafy windswept bamboo growing amongst cragged rockwork, signed Zhiyan

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 31st October 2004, lot 191.

The brushpot is in excellent condition, with only minor surface wear as expected of its age.
"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 signed Zhou Hao (c. 1685-1773), also known as Zhou Ran (zi Jinzhan, hao Xueqiao, Zhiyan, Yaofeng shanren, Ranqi). Hailing from Jiading, Jiangsu province, he was at the forefront of the Jiading school during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods and is considered one of the most accomplished bamboo carvers of the Qing dynasty. He was renowned for his deft wielding of the carving knife, which he used like a painting brush. This piece exemplifies Zhou’s ‘iron stroke and light depiction style’, as evident in the rendering of rocks with ‘axe-cut strokes’. Three brushpots carved with similar motifs of bamboo and rocks and signed by Zhou Hao, but with lengthy inscriptions, were included in the exhibition Literati Spirit: Art of Chinese Bamboo Carving, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 2012, cat. nos 25, 26 and 27. Further works by Zhou Hao include a brushpot carved with a landscape, illustrated in Zhu Shuyi, ‘Bamboo Carving of the Jiading School’, Orientations, February 1991, pl. 6; another sold in these rooms, 8th October 2010, lot 2230; and a third carved with a flowering plum branch, from the Simon Kwan collection, included in the exhibition Ming and Qing Bamboo, The Art Museum, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2000, cat. no. 93.