A CARVED BAMBOO 'LADIES' BRUSHPOT17th/18th centuryOf cylindrical form, the exterior wall carved in varying levels of relief depicting the lavishly dressed Qiao sisters, one lying on an intricately carved daybed beside a large lotus arrangement, the other seated holding a book between them, signed Zhang Hong, the patina of a rich reddish-brown colour, box.15.7cm (6 1/8in) high (2).Provenance: 十七/十八世紀 竹雕仕女讀書圖筆筒Provenance:S. Marchant & Son Ltd., London, 11 July 2007來源：倫敦馬錢特，2007年7月11日Compare a related bamboo brushpot by Shen Dasheng of the late Ming dynasty in the Shanghai Museum collection, also carved with the scene of ladies reading in a garden, illustrated inLiterati Spirit: Art of Chinese Bamboo Carving, Shanghai, 2012, pp.40-41, pl.9; see also a Ming dynasty brushpot in the National Palace Museum collection, illustrated inA Garland of Treasures: Masterpieces of Precious Crafts in the Museum Collection, Taipei, 2014, p.159, pl.IV-47.仕女庭院圖書雅集的形象自明代以來便在竹雕作品上出現，參考上海博物館藏一件明晚期沈大生作竹雕庭院讀書圖筆筒，畫面以深浮雕刻畫庭院一座，內有兩位高髻仕女展卷讀書，桌上博古雅設同本件筆筒實一脈相承，見上海博物館編，《竹鏤文心—竹刻珍品特輯》，上海，2012年，頁40及41，編號9；另可比較台北故宮博物館藏一件明代竹雕仕女庭院圖筆筒，見侯怡利等編，《集瓊藻 : 院藏珍玩精華展 : 導覽手冊》，台北，2014年，頁159，圖版IV-47。