ROOTWOOD BRUSH POT
18TH CENTURY
15.2 cm wide, 13.4 cm high
The brush pot is of irregular form, crafted from a hollowed natural root section. The top edge is slightly rounded, and the natural base is recessed base to create a foot rim. The gnarled surface has patinated to a warm tone and smooth touch.
Looking simple at a first glance, the present brush pot demonstrates the extraordinary skill of the craftsman, especially the recessed base and hollowed interior, considering that the walls are subject to multiple open cracks and crevices. A similar brush pot, formerly in the collection of The Art Institute of Chicago, is published in Christie’s, Chinese Art from the Art Institute of Chicago, New York, September 2019, lot 101. A lacquered example is illustrated in Eskenazi, Room for Study: Fifty Scholars’ Objects, 2019, cat. no. 5.
Provenance:
Formerly in a French private collection