Product Description
Ming dynasty desk furniture object for the scholar’s studio.
Ming or early Qing dynasty green jade brush washer. The centre thin walled bowl’s outer wall is surrounded by open work carving of scrolling intertwined pattern of blossom leaves branches in high relief. The brush washer was used to clean paintbrushes and would have been placed on a desk with other writing instruments. The florid exhibition of the carving of this piece has all the obvious characteristics of the ming dynasty.
Some brown and russet inclusions and veins.
Size: 20.5 cms long,6.5 cms high, 9.5 cms wide.
Please email us at info@orientalvintagejade.com for a price of this item.
Note:
Items of desk furniture for the scholar’s studio in Ming Dynasty are the product of the Chinese tradition of writing to which the use of writing implements of jade lends an air if richness and elegance. The principal kinds are seals, brush rests, brush washers, paperweights, ink slabs and brush washers carved in open-work relief or high relief.
Jade Brush Washers are the most frequently seen item and are the product of Ming and Qing desk furniture and are designed to hold water in which brushes washed whilst at the same time embodyingly the qualities of display and great piece of appreciation. Some new designs came in to existence with very delicate and intricate carving, some of them are in the form of cups and bowls. Prominently these vessels were made in the form of fruit or flowers surrounded by plants carved in high relief.
In western countries they are called “BAROQUE PERIOD” having peculiar baroque style designs of the period. This type of jade brush washers were exported to Europe in the middle of 17th Century. The same type of brush-washers are shown in the art room of the Electors of Brandenburg in 1688.
In the same period, most intricately carved and designed, the most favourite shape in bowls were made in the form of lotus flowers, chrysanthemums, peach, crab-apple, melon, gourmand lingzhi fungus. They were made with thin walls carved out of tough jade materials. These jades were copy of Ch’ien Lung period’s contemporary thin lacquer bowls of that shape.
