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十七/十八世紀 竹雕「春夜宴桃李園」筆筒
This bamboo-carved brushpot, depicting sages drinking together, likely alludes to Li Bai's famous 'Spring Evening Banquet'. Composed around 733, the poem reflects on the fleeting nature of life, capturing a joyous spring evening where Li Bai and his companions drank wine, composed poetry, and savoured the fragrance of peach blossoms in the air. The gathering was not without its playful stakes — those unable to compose a poem were humorously subjected to a drinking forfeit, adding a spirited and convivial touch to the scene. See a for example, a blue and white brushpot with a similar scene, Kangxi, illustrated by Chen Runmin, Gugong bowuyuan cang Qingdai ciqi leixuan, Qing Shunzhi Kangxi chao qinghuaci, vol.1, Beijing, 2004, pl.211.
See also a very similar bamboo brushpot with the same design and possibly by the same hand, late Ming dynasty, early 17th century, illustrated by Sydney L. Moss Ltd., The Literati Mode: Chinese Scholar Paintings, Calligraphy and Desk Objects, London, 1986, pp.152-153, no.42.