Page 91 - Bonhams UK Marsh Collection Art for the Literati November 2, 2022

29 *
A FINE WHITE BISCUIT PORCELAIN 'CRANES AND PINE' The elaborate yet delicate carving style on white biscuit porcelain,
BRUSHPOT, BITONG as exemplified by the present brushpot, suggests it was carved by
19th century a contemporary of one of the great craftsmen of the time, such as
Exquisitely carved around the exterior with a large gnarled pine tree Chen Guozhi 陳國治 (circa 1820-1860). Chen was a native of Qimen,
with fine pine needles and a crane perched among the branches, Anhui Province, and was renowned for his ability to carve designs on
beside it a rocky outcrop issuing auspicious lingzhi fungus and porcelain with the intricacy and elegance of those found on paintings.
bamboo with a flittering butterfly above. See H.Moss, V.Graham, and K.B.Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff
13.8cm (5 3/8in) high. Bottles. The Mary and George Bloch Collection. Vol.6. Part 3. Arts of
the Fire, Hong Kong, 2008, pp.759-762. According to Jin Wuxiang in
£6,000 - 8,000 Fragrant Corn Casual Jottings (Suxiang suibi 粟香隨筆), Chen Guozhi
CNY49,000 - 65,000 was 'of great renown...every piece [of his work] being valued at ten
pieces of gold.'
清十九世紀 澀胎雕松鶴紋筆筒
Another famous potter, Wang Bingrong 王炳荣 (circa 1820-1875), was
Provenance: also well known for his relief-carved porcelain. Wang Bingrong was
Belfont Company (Hong Kong) Ltd., 28 June 1994 the most commercially successful of the Daoguang period porcelain
carvers and was active through at least the Xianfeng reign as well. This
Published and Illustrated: success enabled the family kiln to re-establish production relatively
S.Marsh, Brushpots: A Collector's View, Hong Kong, 2020, quickly even after the destruction caused by the Taiping rebellion.
pp.200-201 Wang Bingrong also produced several series of desk sets which would
have included scholar's accessories such as the present brushpot,
來源： of exceedingly high quality. See T.Miller and H.Hui, Elegance in Relief:
Belfont Company (香港) Ltd.，1994年6月28日 Carved Porcelain from Jingdezhen of the 19th to Early 20th Centuries,
Hong Kong, 2006, p.344. See also a snuff bottle, Wang Bingrong
錄著： four-character mark, illustrated ibid., no.81. Compare with a related
《Brushpots: A Collector's View》，香港，2020年， white biscuit porcelain 'cranes and pine' brushpot, Wang Bingrong
頁200-201 impressed four-character seal mark, Daoguang/Xianfeng, which was
sold at Bonhams London, 12 May 2022, lot 168.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue. THE MARSH COLLECTION | 91