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Lot 63

A CARVED BAMBOO 'PINE' WASHER
17th/18th century

14 May 2025, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

£2,000 - £3,000

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A CARVED BAMBOO 'PINE' WASHER

17th/18th century
Naturalistically modelled in the form of a knotted pine tree trunk, carved in high openwork relief with gnarled pine branches encircling the body, with deep knots and burls, the interior lacquered.
13.6cm (5 3/8in) wide.

Footnotes

十七/十八世紀 竹雕松樹紋洗

Pine trees hold profound symbolic significance for Chinese literati, representing steadfastness, resilience, and moral integrity, as they remain evergreen even in the harshest winters. Frequently depicted in art and poetry, the pine became a metaphor for the ideal scholar who upholds virtue and endures adversity with grace and constancy.

Compare with a similar bamboo 'pine' brushwasher, Qing dynasty, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Small Refined Articles of the Study, Shenzhen, 2009, p.127, no.98. See also a similar bamboo 'pine' brush washer, late Ming dynasty, illustrated in Literati Spirit: Art of Chinese Bamboo Carving, Shanghai, 2012, p.38, no.8. Compare also with a related bamboo 'pine' cup, Kangxi, illustrated by S.Kwan, Ming and Qing Bamboo, Hong Kong, 2000, pp.260-261, no.57.

See also a similar bamboo 'pine' brushwasher, 17th/18th century, which was sold at Bonhams London, 7 November 2022, lot 83.

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