48 - Blue-and-white porcelain brush holder, China, Kangxi period (1662–1722)

Blue-and-white porcelain brush holder, China, Kangxi period (1662–1722) Cylindrical in shape, made of porcelain glazed in blue under the glaze. The main design depicts a vast lakeside landscape animated by scholars seated on a rocky mound, dominated by an imposing, gnarled pine tree with spreading branches. In the background, a boat glides along a river while a fisherman casts his line. A poetic inscription accompanies the scene. The inscription can be transcribed as follows: 对坐清谈世事 间看浅水行舟 - “Seated face to face, we calmly discuss worldly affairs, while watching a boat glide across the shallow waters.” Below is a rare four-character seal mark, 康熙年製 (Kangxi nian zhi) – “Made during the Kangxi reign,” inscribed in blue underglaze. Height: 14.5 cm; diameter: 12.5 cm The decoration, like the accompanying poem, is reminiscent in both subject matter and style of the so-called “Hue blue” wares produced for the Vietnamese market. Although, to the best of our knowledge, no brush pot bearing a “Kangxi nian zhi” mark in Huê blue is currently documented, this origin remains a possibility.