Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)
Length: 12.3cm
The brushrest is fashioned from a block of smoky quartz in the shape
of a fourpeaked wave design. Two small chilong dragons with
bifurcated tails clamour over the waves. A three-character
Shende tang 慎德堂 “Hall Dedicated to Prudent Virtue” mark
is inscribed in the back of the brushrest on a rocky peak. The
brushrest is of a translucent brownish grey tone with natural
inclusions and polished to a glossy finish.
The Hall Dedicated to Prudent Virtue is a palace building in the
Summer Palace, Yuanmingyuan 圓明園, located on
Jiuzhou Qingyan dao 九州清晏島 “Nine Divisions [China] Pure
Leisure Island,” which was used as the bedchambers of both the
Daoguang and Xianfeng emperors. Objects made by the imperial
workshops for this palace were thus marked
Shende tang 慎德堂.
| 清十九世紀 茶晶螭龍紋筆架 |
