A BAMBOO WRISTREST

Qing Dynasty, 18th Century

Length: 28.1cm

The large bamboo section is freely incised in shallow relief depicting a bearded scholar in loose robes holding a double gourd in one hand while carrying a staff with the other. An inscription 時癸丑秋九月戲蔡松原嘉 “Dated the 9th month of autumn in the year guichou , playfully emulating Cai Songyuan, Jia” is incised on the top left hand side.

Cai Jia 蔡嘉 (1686-1779), personal name ( 字) Songyuan 松原, lived and worked most of his life in Yangzhou. He was a versatile painter, who worked in a variety of genres and styles, most notably in landscape and figure painting. The figure engraved here is apparently copied from one of Cai’s figure paintings.

清雍正　竹刻蔡松原人物臂擱