Page 55 - The Ian and Susan Wilson Collection Schilar's Objects, Christie's, March 2016

Mention of a chenxiangmu mountain seemed to frst appeared in 1098, when
the famous Song dynasty poet Su Shi (1037-1101) sent a miniature chenxiangmu
mountain from his place of exile in Hainan to his younger brother Su Zhe (1039-
1112), who was also an accomplished scholar and poet, for his sixtieth birthday.
Both Su brothers wrote poetic essays (fu) to commemorate the object.

Chenxiangmu, also known as aloeswood or eaglewood, is a resinous wood from
the Aquilaria tree, an evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. The tree frequently
becomes infected with a parasitic fungus or mold, Phialophora parasitica, and
begins to produce an aromatic resin in response to the attack, a fragrance that
permeates the wood, and which has made it highly treasured in China, Japan and
Tibet. Because of its rarity, the wood is typically only found in small segments of
usable material, and those that date to the Qing dynasty are traditionally pieced
together to make small scholar’s articles, such as brush pots or wine cups. Older
examples were more likely to be made from sections of relatively larger size, but
they were more vulnerable to cracks and fakes. Therefore, it is rare to fnd an
example like the present carving of such signifcant size and condition, and that
has dual functions.

Two inscriptions on the present chenxiangmu ‘rock’/libation cup were inscribed
by Qu Yingshao (1780-1850), who presumably was the owner of the present ‘rock’
at one time. Ziye was Qu’s style name, and he was also known by his sobriquet
Yuehu, Qufu and Laoye. A poet, essayist and carver, he was a recognized man
of letters in the Jiangnan region and was especially known for his paintings of
bamboo and his carving of the same subject on Yixing pottery teapots.

The other two inscriptions, with the signatures Menghong and Xiaohong, may
belonged to Zhong Menghong, a scholar and calligrapher active during the
Daoguang period (1821-1850). Based on the inscriptions, he viewed and inscribed
the present ‘rock’ while visiting his friend (Qu), apparently on two diferent
occasions.

The four inscriptions may be translated respectively as:

2. 3. 4.
A Single Stem from Southern Realms ‘On the fourth day of the fourth month ‘Like an hibiscus fower penetrating
‘Purple coral viewed by Xiaohong’ of the year guimao (1843), I visited Heaven as companion:
(presumably Zhong Menghong) Yuehu (Qu Yingshao); I read his recent A pratyeka-Buddha facing the clif for
南洲一瓣 紫珊 小鴻觀 verse on the fragrance of the purple another nine years.
‘coral’ branch (i.e. the present object), Inscribed by Ziye’
and also viewed this ladle-measure. 如芙蓉之插天伴 辟支佛面亦九年 子冶銘
Recorded by Menghong.
癸卯四月四日過月壺 English translation provided
既讀紫珊條芳近句復觀此斗 孟鴻誌 by Professor Jonathan Chaves

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