Page 160 - September 23 to 24 Important Chinese Art Christie's NYC

PROPERTY FROM A WEST COAST PRIVATE COLLECTION
856

A BLUE AND WHITE OVOID JAR 西岸私人珍藏
CHONGZHEN PERIOD, CIRCA 1640
明崇禎 約1640年 青花竹林七賢圖罐
The jar is decorated in bright cobalt blue with a continuous scene depicting the
'Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove', below the neck decorated with pendent 來源:
leaves. E. & J. Frankel, 紐約 (傳)。
6√ in. (17.4 cm.) high

$15,000-25,000
PROVENANCE:
E. & J. Frankel, New York (by repute).
The decoration on this striking jar depicts The Seven Sages of the Bamboo
Grove. This group of eccentric scholars is believed to have met in the
3rd century AD during the Three Kingdoms period in a bamboo grove in
Shanyang, located in present-day Henan province. The famous gathering
was a retreat from the political and social chaos of the period following
the fall of the Han dynasty in AD 220. They came together to write poetry,
compose music, engage in philosophical discussions, and drink wine, away
from the intrigues of the court. They became symbols of the struggle of
scholars against corruption, dynastic usurpation, restrictive Confucian rules
of propriety, and magical Daoism.

The group was composed of Xi Kang, Liu Ling, Ruan Ji, Ruan Xian, Xiang Xiu,
Wang Rong and Shan Tao. On the jar, Ruan Xian can be seen seated facing
outward playing the stringed lute, an instrument that now bears his name, ruan. .
Xi Kang, (AD 223-262), also known as Ji Kang, is often considered the leader of f
the group, and the bamboo grove in which the group met was reportedly near
his home. In addition to being a philosopher and author, Xi Kang was a skilled
exponent of the guqin and composed music for that instrument.
(another view)