Page 31 - Christie's Leisurely Life May 29, 2019 Hong Kong

2917 Continued

Only one other example of this type of brush handle of the ✖❖Ԗ㵲⡠㱈ս㬪Ɽ⊬⎊ᐃᯧ⥾࣍Ⳟ⡠卿Ԗ㯪㸓ᚺ卿ݦ⛘ߎ㱈
Xuande mark and period is known, from the Meiyintang 㬪Ɽ⸥≓⡠ক㢶஠⡠卿❖ऑऑᯒᥓᝧǸഌᚺ໿ᇪჺㅳǹ໶⚨᪪ǯ
Collection, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 4 April 2012, lot 40,
and now in the collection of the Studio of Measure, exhibited ⯇ᚺջᇙ଍ᅐ໿ᇪ஠ྉ߅க׾㌴ԋजᇑ⒖卿໿ᇪ໶⚨῟ㅳԻ⏟
in No Doubts, Christie’s Shanghai, 2014, see Catalogue no. 19. ⋁ᙇ㞔⎏ᙔᏑ⊇ݰ卿ൈ㬪Ɽ≢✖៵ࣿ✖ᰚǯ᠝㨙ݥ↗ݩ☆ⶬ
The Xuande reign was the first in which significant numbers 㢙卿㗻իַۣᝳऔംӬ։໿ᇪ✖❖⣌ⶬ㢙卿ݯࣥἃ⅌Ⳍల⯠⻦卿
of porcelains were made at the Imperial kilns for use in ჺ ᝲ ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰ⼖༛ᬘᐽ㐈卿ᐽ৅ ⽚卿→ἃヹ䁗Ⅷ⻦卿
scholarly pursuits. Porcelain brush rests, brush washers, and
other accoutrements decorated in underglaze blue have been ㇦ӳᱡצ೥ᇑ ჺǶӶ኶Ƿཿ㈇எ㢙எ‸ ⽚ǯٿᇑӬᓽ
excavated from the Xuande strata at the Imperial kiln site at ⎏ᛓ卿ទ✖ᢊӳ⎏࣍Ⳟ⡠ս⻤஠⎊Ɽ⎏ᙹᅴᓼ⥾卿Ӷַऱឆ⏟
Jingdezhen. It is interesting to note that the scroll depicted 㖅჎㇦⎏⎊஠⻤Ɽ卿ൈझ࢈ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦Ӭ໿ᇪ㺠㰱଍ӳᏒ㇦卿
on these Xuande brush handles is a white scroll reserved on Ƕᚺջ໿ᇪ໶⚨⴬ⵖ⁞ཿஎ㢙Ƿ卿झ࢈卿 ჺ卿எ‸ ⥾ㅳ
a blue ground, as opposed to blue on a white ground as seen ទ✖ᢊ⎏࣍Ⳟ⡠㖅ἃ㏦ᛞ卿⩧ӻ㮷⩱⊇ᝤഅ☮⦷⎏㬪ᙠ卿ទ✖
on most other examples from the Xuande period, such as on
a small imperial bird-feeder of ruyi section in the collection ᢊ㚁⊇Ի㘺♎ᎰទӶⵙ⎏ㅛ㱈႙⻱卿ज㇦᫉⁒⢞㬳޹৅ǯ
of the National Palace Museum Taipei, see Special Exhibition
of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty,
Taipei, 1998, no. 6. It is the brush handle version that would
have taken longer for the decorator to complete, and would
have required more of the precious cobalt blue. The brush
handle must have been of some significance if it was chosen
for this extravagant type of decoration.

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