Page 276 - 2018 Hong Kong Important Chieese Art

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A SUPERBLY CARVED BAMBOO ‘HORSES OF 十七至十八世紀初 竹雕松溪浴馬圖筆筒
MUWANG’ BRUSHPOT
來源：
17TH – EARLY 18TH CENTURY
1964年購於香港
of cylindrical form, the exterior deftly carved in sophisticated Bluett & Sons，倫敦
high and low relief with eight horses and four grooms in a Irene Dreyfus 夫人收藏，1964年
riverside landscape, depicting a groomsman hauling a horse
莫士撝，倫敦，1969年
from behind intertwining pine trees, beside two horses by the
shore, one recumbent and the other standing and sniffing 顯赫英國收藏
its hoof, in the river a further groomsman standing ready to
bathe a horse, in front of another groom lugging the reins of a
backing off horse by the shore, in a distance a figure holding
a bucket feeding a horse beside another drinking water from
a basin, opposite two knotted pine trees and a horse with its
head turned backwards, the bamboo patinated to a dark brown
tone
h. 16.8 cm, 6⅝ in.
PROVENANCE
Purchased in Hong Kong, 1964.
Bluett & Sons, London.
Collection of Mrs Irene Dreyfus, 1964.
Hugh Moss, London, 1969.
An eminent English collection.

HK$ 100,000-150,000
US$ 12,800-19,200

In its outstanding workmanship, in which the figures and a similar subject is included ibid., pl. 33. See also a bamboo
horses are carved with the uttermost naturalistic sensitivity brushpot by Gu Jue, with analogous treatment to the scaled
and the natural contours of the landscape skilfully cut out bark and truncated roots to the pine trees, sold at Woolley and
in varying levels of relief, this superb brushpot is a delightful Wallis Salisbury, 23rd May 2012, lot 191.
object destined for the scholar’s desk.
The scene depicts groomsmen attending to the legendary
Although unsigned, its distinctive composition and rendering eight horses of Mu Wang. It is said that Mu Wang travelled
of carved details demonstrated the carver’s awareness of around his kingdom in a chariot drawn by eight mighty horses
contemporaneous works by celebrated bamboo masters such in search of the heavenly paradise. The eight horses were all
as Wu Zhifan and Gu Jue. In fact, the representations are so given a distinctive name and were eventually liberated from
close that the creator of this brushpot could very probably their harnesses and let out to graze after many years of faithful
be a follower or amongst the close circle of these masters. service to the king.
Compare a Wu Zhifan bamboo brushpot decorated with a
This brushpot had a long history in the West, where its
scene of washing horses, with a closely related composition
provenance can be traced back to the 1960s. Not only did it
and similar zigzag orientation of the pine boughs, formerly
pass through the hands of two eminent dealers in London,
in the Qing court collection and now in the Palace Museum,
Bluett & Sons and Hugh Moss, it also belonged to the
Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of
collection of Mrs Irene Dreyfus, who had originally collected
the Palace Museum. Bamboo. Wood. Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn
the legendary Chenghua doucai ‘chicken cup’, sold at a record-
Carvings, Shanghai, 2001, pl. 31; another brushpot carved with
breaking price in our rooms on 8th April 2014, lot 1.

274 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比