A ‘THREE FRIENDS OF WINTER’ BRUSHPOT

QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY, A FOUR-CHARACTER ‘CHEN GUO ZHI ZHA’ MARK

HEIGHT (EXCLUDING STAND): 11.1CM

The brushpot is well potted and decorated with incised, moulded and appliqué decoration of a pine and prunus tree bound together by a string against a slightly waisted section of bamboo with an indented side. The slightly rounded rim and foot are decorated with minute stippling in imitation of a bamboo section and covered overall with a thin clear glaze. A four-character ‘Chen Guo Zhi Zha’ mark is lightly incised inside the footrim.

The pine, prunus and bamboo together make a popular Chinese motif called the ‘three friends of winter’ and signify the resilience in turbulent situations. Chen Guo Zhi was an artist active in the Jingdezhen kilns during the Daoguang period (1821-1850) and is known for his decoration on porcelain in high relief.

PROVENANCE
Edward T Chow Collection

EXHIBITED
One Man’s Taste: Treasures from the Lakeside Pavilion 14 October 1998 – 15 January 1989, Collections Baur, Geneva

LITERATURE
One Man’s Taste: Treasures from the Lakeside Pavilion 14 October 1988 – 15 January 1989, Collections Baur, Geneva, p. 21, Catalogue No. C.7.

清十九世紀　白釉「歲寒三友」筆筒