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Lot 72
A RARE BAMBOO 'WANG QIAO' BRUSHPOT, BITONG Signed Zhourao, Kangxi
14 May 2025, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £21,760 inc. premium
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A RARE BAMBOO 'WANG QIAO' BRUSHPOT, BITONG
Signed Zhourao, Kangxi
Of cylindrical form supported on three flat feet, the exterior carved in relief with an seated immortal holding a shoe in his left hand, with a bare upper body and robes draped around his waist, sitting next to a flower basket, and gazing upward at a flying bird, incised with a long poetic inscription accompanied by a signature.
15.1cm (6in) high.
Of cylindrical form supported on three flat feet, the exterior carved in relief with an seated immortal holding a shoe in his left hand, with a bare upper body and robes draped around his waist, sitting next to a flower basket, and gazing upward at a flying bird, incised with a long poetic inscription accompanied by a signature.
15.1cm (6in) high.
Footnotes
清康熙 竹雕「王喬飛舄」故事筆筒
「菷桡」款
The inscription reads:
沉沉五鼓去朝天，
飛鳥逢臨玉陛前。
不是雲端召賜履，
那知寶轍有神仙。
菷桡
Which may be translated as:
'[Wang Qiao] departed in the deep stillness of night, at the fifth geng [watch], to present himself before the heavens. The flying shoes carried him to the jade steps of the Imperial Court. If not for the summons from the clouds,
How would one know that the treasured chariot holds an immortal? Zhourao'
The brushpot depicts the tale of the legendary Immortal Wang Qiao (王喬), as recounted in Anecdotes about Spirits and Immortals (Sou shen ji, 搜神記), compiled by Gan Bao (干寶 ?–336). During the reign of Emperor Ming of the Han dynasty, Wang Qiao, formerly an official in the Department of State Affairs, was appointed magistrate of Ye County. Renowned for his command of Immortal arts, he was able to journey from Ye County to the Imperial Court on the first day of every month. Perplexed by Wang Qiao's regular appearances without the use of a carriage or horse, Emperor Ming discreetly ordered a Court officer to investigate. The officer observed that, shortly before Wang Qiao's arrival, a pair of wild ducks would fly in from the southeast. Intrigued, the emperor commanded an ambush to capture the birds. Yet, when the net ensnared them, the ducks vanished, leaving behind only a pair of shoes. Upon inspection, these shoes were recognised as those previously bestowed by the emperor upon officials in the Department of State Affairs.
The tale of Wang Qiao symbolises transcendence and the Daoist pursuit of Immortality, illustrating his mastery over supernatural arts through his ability to travel effortlessly. His transformation into wild ducks and ultimate disappearance highlight the elusiveness of true wisdom and the futility of earthly constraints on those who have transcended the material world.
See a bamboo brushpot carved with the same theme, early Qing dynasty, signed Wu Zhifan, in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated by Jin Weinuo, Complete Works of Chinese art: Bamboo, Bone, Ivory, Horn and Enamel (中國美術全集：竹木骨牙角雕琺瑯器), Hefei, 2010, p.34.
See a similar bamboo 'Immortal' brushpot, 18th/19th century, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 29 May 2019, lot 734.