Page 43 - Christie's London May 14, 2019 Chinese Works of Art

the Ming, along with Wen Zhengming (1470-1559), Tang Yin (1470-1524) and
Qiu Ying (1494-1552). He is closely associated with the ideals of the wenren
literati tradition. His paintings usually refect a restrained calmness and an
underlying appreciation of nature. The painting on the current brush pot
evokes aspects of the handscroll in ink on paper known as Joint Landscape,
painted by Shen Zhou and Wen Zhengming, now in the collection of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Even closer similarities can be seen
between the scene on the current brush pot and an album leaf in ink and
colour on paper, Landscape with Pavilion and Willows, (Fig. 1), also in the
collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is attributed to Shen
Zhou. In the case of the album leaf, comparisons may be made not only with
the subject matter on the brush pot, but certain aspects of painting style and
even the choice of pigment colour.
This very rare Yixing brush pot is a remarkable example of literati aesthetics
expressed in clay by a ceramic artist of unusual skill.
(fig. 1. Album leaf, Landscape with Pavilion and Willows)

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