Brush pot, late 18th century-mid 19th century ::

Details

Other Title: Brush pot decorated with Li Bai
Place where the work was made: China
Period: Daoguang 1821 - 1850 → Qing dynasty 1644 - 1911 → China
Date: late 18th century-mid 19th century
Media category: Ceramic
Materials used: porcelain with yellow/brown relief decoration
Dimensions: 12.1 x 6.9 cm
Signature & date: Not signed. Not dated.
Credit: Gift of Laurence G Harrison 1977
Location: South Building, lower level 1, Asian Lantern galleries
Accession number: 344.1977
Copyright: Reproduction requests
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About

The yellow/brown glaze simulates carved bamboo. Such technical conceits, where one material was made to imitate another, were popular from the 1700s. The high-relief carved decoration depicts a gentleman with a long beard in official robe and cap, reclining against a flat-topped rock, upon which are a cup, a book and a vase. A young servant is seen squatting in front of him, ladling wine from a jar. Another servant stands to the back, holding a wine flask. The scene represents the enduring pleasure enjoyed by an official scholar communing with nature and indulging in literary creation.

The Asian Collections, AGNSW, 2003, pg.161.

Places

Where the work was made

China

Exhibition history

Shown in 6 exhibitions

Chinese Pottery and Porcelain, The Ceramic Society of Australia, Sydney, 12 Nov 1951–24 Nov 1951
Chinese porcelain of the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 18 Feb 1977–26 Jun 1977
Late Chinese Imperial Porcelain, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 02 Aug 1980–21 Sep 1980
Art of the brush, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 23 Sep 1995–12 Nov 1995
Beyond Words: Calligraphic Traditions of Asia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 27 Aug 2016–30 Apr 2017
Elemental, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 30 Jul 2022–2024

Bibliography

Referenced in 6 publications

J. Hepburn Myrtle, Late Chinese Imperial Porcelain, Sydney, 1980, 22 (Illus.). cat.no. 26. See 'Further Information' for text.
J. Hepburn Myrtle, Chinese porcelain of the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties, Sydney, 1977, 3, 57 (illus.). cat.no. 68, plate 18
Jackie Menzies, Art of the Brush - Chinese & Japanese painting calligraphy, Sydney, 1995, 11.
Jackie Menzies and Edmund Capon AM, OBE, Asian Collection Handbook, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 'Chinese Painting', pg. 42-52, Sydney, 1990, 42 (colour illus.), 43.
Jackie Menzies (Editor), The Asian Collections Art Gallery of New South Wales, 'The Scholar's Studio', Sydney, 2003, 161 (colour illus.).
Editor Unknown (Editor), Chinese pottery and porcelain, Sydney, 1951. cat.no.35

Provenance

Laurence G. Harrison, 1951-Aug 1977, Sydney/New South Wales/Australia, donated to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Aug 1977.