Page 259 - 2019 September 11th Sotheby's Important Chinese Art

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A SUPERB BAMBOO ‘FIGURAL’ Deng Fujia, zi Yongji, a native of Fujian, was Bamboo Carving, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai,
BRUSHPOT, SIGNED DENG FUJIA an accomplished bamboo carver during 2012, cat. nos 33 and 34 respectively. See also
QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods. a related bamboo brushpot, carved in a similar
Characterized by the high complexity of the style, depicting ladies and boys engaging in
the cylindrical body finely carved in high relief design and meticulously executed details, various leisurely pursuits, attributed to the 18th
with men and women enjoying erudite pastimes Deng’s carving style represents a new century, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th May
at a mountain retreat, in one pavilion an elderly development from the traditional Jiading 2006, lot 1493.
scholar playing the qin for a female companion, School of literati bamboo carving and became
nearby other scholars and attendants walking highly influential from the 18th century onward. ◉ $ 15,000-20,000
down a forested path carrying peaches and Compare two bamboo carvings by Deng Fujia
drinking cups, another official arriving on in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, one carved
horseback wearing a futou, two further men with Tao Yuanming under a pine tree, inscribed 清十八世紀 竹雕松山文會圖
seated under a willow playing liubo on a stone with a very similar artist’s seal, the other, a
table, the background richly detailed with pines, washer, carved in the form of a gnarled pine 筆筒
wutong, willows, rocks, and distant peaks, some tree, with the Yongjia mark arranged vertically,
of the details undercut and modeled fully in the exhibited in Literati Spirit. Art of Chinese 《用吉》款
round, the artist’s seal Yongji carved into one
of the rocks, applied with a hongmu mouth rim
and a hongmu base carved with three low feet
Height 5⅞ in., 15 cm

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