A SPINACH-GREEN JADE ‘SEVEN SAGES OF THE BAMBOO GROVE’ (ZHULIN QIXIAN) BRUSHPOT, BITONG, QIANLONG PERIOD

Expert’s note:
The present brushpot is extraordinary in how the master carver transformed the vessel into a three-dimensional multi-layered canvas, with the image continuing and revealing itself through the physical turning of the vessel by the beholder. It is also noteworthy that to produce such a magnificent vessel, a very large jade boulder of remarkable quality would have been used, with the carving process and hollowing of the brushpot creating significant wastage of material, underscoring the lavish expenditure in the process of making this exceptional scholarly vessel.

China, 1736-1795. Of cylindrical form, raised on three short ogee-bracket feet. Deftly carved in deep relief with a continuous scene of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove engaged in various pursuits and accompanied by their boy attendants in the eponymous bamboo grove amid craggy rockwork, towering pines, and swirling clouds. The partially translucent stone is of a dark spinach-green hue with expected icy inclusions and dark spots.


Provenance:
Collection of Roger Meffreys, and thence by descent in the same family. A private collection in France, acquired from the above. Roger Meffreys (1899-1976) was a French diplomat who served in China between 1936 and 1946. His first position in Shanghai was General Consul, later being assigned the position of Ambassador for France in Beijing until 1946. Meffreys became enamored with Chinese culture and works of art, frequently visiting Beijing’s antique shops and meeting famous artists including Xu Beihong. He built an exceptional collection, which he then took with him after his appointment as Ambassador ended. Meffreys continued in various diplomatic positions in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand, before retiring in his hometown of Grenoble.

Condition:
Very good condition with natural wear, traces of use, two small chips around one foot, possibly with an associated minuscule repair. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which have developed into small hairline cracks.

Weight: 1,897.7 g
Dimensions: Height 16.1 cm, Diameter 13.4 cm

Two of the sages are playing a game of weiqi (go), with one of them reaching into the container (weiqizhe) by his side for a counter, as a third looks on, while the four other sages are gathered around a table as one of them writes a poem on a scroll. One of the attendants is climbing a bamboo stalk, while another is fanning a kettle, preparing tea for the group.


The ‘Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove’
were mid-3rd century literati who had renounced their official status and careers, retreating to the countryside in protest against the corrupt politics of the Wei dynasty rulers. They advocated freedom of individual beliefs which were inspired by Daoist philosophy. The design of the 'Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove’ (zhulin qixian) especially appealed to the Qianlong Emperor’s wish to depict himself as an upright ruler and his desire to be seen as a man of letters. The seven sages, depicted gathered under a bamboo grove drinking, composing poetry, and enjoying each other’s company, came to represent scholars disenchanted with official policies and are symbols of an incorruptible personality. They reflect the virtues of art and intellectual pursuits.


Literature comparison:

Compare a closely related spinach-green jade brushpot, 14 cm high, also dated to the Qianlong period, exhibited by the Oriental Ceramic Society at Bonhams London, Reginald and Lena Palmer, their Collection, and the Oriental Ceramic Society, 1921-1970, 27 October 2021. Compare a related brushpot, inscribed with a Qianlong poem and dated to the period, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, exhibited in The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch’ing Court, 1997, Taipei, cat. no. 56.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 19 March 2007, lot 50
Price: USD 240,000 or approx.
EUR 330,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A superb imperially inscribed spinach jade brushpot, Mark and period of Qianlong, dated 1776 AD
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, color, and manner of carving.
Note that this brushpot also depicts the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove
. It is also inscribed with a poem by the Qianlong Emperor and a cyclical date.




乾隆時期菠菜綠玉雕《竹林七賢》筆筒

中國，1736-1795 年。呈圓柱形，三短足。深浮雕，外壁通景雕刻竹林七賢、竹林、山石、參天蒼松、雲煙繚繞、桌椅以及流水。深綠色玉石，帶有内沁和黑點。作品的刀功深遒，人物形象栩栩如生。尤其是多層佈景。


來源：
Roger Meffreys收藏，在同一家族保存；法國私人收藏，購於上述收藏。Roger Meffreys (1899-1976) 是一位法國外交官，1936年至1946年間在中國任職。他在上海最初是總領事，後來被任命為法國駐北京大使，直到1946年。Meffreys十分喜愛中國文化和藝術作品，經常參觀北京的美術館、古董店並見過徐悲鴻在內的著名藝術家。 他建立了一個非凡的收藏，並在大使任期結束後帶走。 Meffreys之後在新加坡、香港和泰國擔任外交職務，然後在家鄉格勒諾布爾退休。

品相：
狀況極好，有磨損、使用痕跡，一隻腳邊緣有兩個小缺口，有小修。玉石帶有天然斑紋和裂隙。

重量：1,897.7 克
尺寸：高 16.1 厘米，直徑 13.4 厘米


文獻比較:

比較一件非常相近的乾隆菠菜綠玉雕筆筒，高14 厘米，，展覽於東方陶瓷協會，見倫敦邦翰斯，《Reginald and Lena Palmer，their Collection，and the Oriental Ceramic Society，1921-1970》，2021年10月27。比較一件相近的乾隆玉雕御施筆筒，收藏於台北故宮博物館，展覽於《The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch’ing Court》，1997年，台北，圖錄編號56。


拍賣比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2007年3月19日，lot 50
價格：USD 240,000（相當今日
EUR 330,000
）
描述：1776年乾隆菠菜玉雕筆筒
專家註釋：比較非常相近的外形，顏色，和雕刻風格。
請注意此筆筒上還描繪了竹林七賢。
上面還刻有乾隆皇帝的一首詩和年代。