Page 44 - 2020 December 1 Bonhams Hong Kong, Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of art

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A RARE ZITAN INLAID ‘FLOWERS AND BIRD’ BRUSHPOT, The present brushpot is rare for its ‘ping qian’ (flush-inlay) technique
BITONG of inlaying precious stones and other materials onto a flat surface of
17th century wood and lacquer, as opposed to inlay decoration in relief. This inlay
Of cylindrical form, the body finely carved, inlaid and lacquered with technique is more often seen on Chinese furniture decorating the
details depicting a long-tailed crested bird perched on a leafy prunus top panel of a table or the back-splat of a chair, as the flat surface is
branch bearing mother-of-pearl-inlaid blossoms issuing from the rim, beautifully decorated while remaining safe for usage. For example,
the reverse with further branches and blossoms surrounding rockwork see an inlaid huanghuali low table, early Qing dynasty, illustrated by
outlined by gold wire, all below a band of key-fret pattern in silver- H.Desheng, Collections of the Palace Museum: Inlaid Furniture, Beijing,
wire around the mouth rim, the top and base with beaded edges and 2009, no.14, p.38. See also the inlay decoration around the rims of
supported on a low foot. three brushpots, late Ming dynasty, in the Palace Museum, Beijing,
12.8cm (5in) high. illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace
Museum: Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings, Hong
HKD350,000 - 450,000 Kong, 2002, no.18 and Zhongguo meishu quanji, Gongyi meishu bian,
US$45,000 - 58,000 vol.11, Beijing, 1996, pp.60 and 62.

十七世紀 紫檀掐絲平嵌螺鈿料石「喜上眉梢」筆筒

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