20 - A fine Chinese bamboo carved 'Magu' brush potearly-mid Qing Dynastyexquisitely carved in the liu qing technique, partially reserving the bamboo skin, to depict the female immortal, Magu, dressed in a voluminous robe holding a lingzhi sprig and a flower basket, the reverse inscribed and signed Zhongyin Banshan, 10cm high x 4.5cm wideProvenance:Property of a GentlemanThis bamboo brush pot, carved and signed 'Zhongyin Banshan' by Li Banshan, represents an important example among the very few existing works bearing this signature. The artist is believed to have been active in the Hubei region (present-day Wuhan area) during the early to mid Qing Dynasty. His surviving oeuvre is exceedingly rare; however, the known works consistently exhibit refined elegance, combining literati sensibility with accomplished carving technique.The present brush pot is carved from bamboo using the characteristic liuqing yangwen (retaining the green skin) technique. Rather than removing the bamboo epidermis, the craftsman selectively preserves and cuts away the surface to create a subtle contrast between the design and the ground. This is further enhanced by extremely shallow relief carving, resulting in a composition of remarkable clarity and layered visual depth. The workmanship is exceptionally delicate, approaching the ideal described as 'without a trace to the touch,' and reflects the broader transition of bamboo carving in the early Qing period from artisanal craft toward a more literati-oriented aesthetic.Comparable examples include a bamboo wrist rest carved with bamboo branches, signed Zhongyin Banshan, in the collection of the National Palace Museum (accession no. Li 991-7-23/Gugong diao 46/Yuan 2012), formerly in the Qing imperial collection and recorded in the antique storeroom of the Forbidden City when Puyi left the palace. See National Palace Museum Monthly, no. 418 (January 2018), pp. 70-78. Aslo see another related work is a boxwood brush pot carved with prunus and bearing Li Banshan's signature in the Art Museum, Chinese University of Hong Kong (accession no. 1976.0004).清早期 李半山作麻姑獻壽圖筆筒拍品來源：私人紳士收藏此件清前至中期李半山作「中隱半山」款竹雕筆筒，為現存所知同類署款器中之重要例證。作者姓李，名半山，字中隱，號竹窗、臥雲，約活動於清初至中期，為湖北鄂地（今武漢一帶）竹刻名家。其傳世作品稀見，然皆氣息高雅，兼具文人趣味與精湛雕工，殊為可珍。本器以竹材為胎，運用典型之留青陽文技法雕製。作者不去竹青，而因勢留剔，使紋飾與地子形成色澤對比，並輔以極淺浮雕，呈現層次分明之視覺效果。其刀法細膩，幾近「捫之無毫髮跡」，展現清初竹刻由工藝走向文人化之審美取向。參考台北國立故宮博物院所藏中隱半山雕竹竹枝臂擱（麗991-7之23∕故雕46∕院2012），為清宮舊藏，溥儀出宮時收於故宮古董房，並發表於《故宮文物月刊》第418期，pp 70-78；及香港中文大學文物館藏李半山款雕黃楊木梅花筆筒（1976.0004）。

A fine Chinese bamboo carved 'Magu' brush potearly-mid Qing Dynastyexquisitely carved in the liu qing technique, partially reserving the bamboo skin, to depict the female immortal, Magu, dressed in a voluminous robe holding a lingzhi sprig and a flower basket, the reverse inscribed and signed Zhongyin Banshan, 10cm high x 4.5cm wideProvenance:Property of a GentlemanThis bamboo brush pot, carved and signed 'Zhongyin Banshan' by Li Banshan, represents an important example among the very few existing works bearing this signature. The artist is believed to have been active in the Hubei region (present-day Wuhan area) during the early to mid Qing Dynasty. His surviving oeuvre is exceedingly rare; however, the known works consistently exhibit refined elegance, combining literati sensibility with accomplished carving technique.The present brush pot is carved from bamboo using the characteristic liuqing yangwen (retaining the green skin) technique. Rather than removing the bamboo epidermis, the craftsman selectively preserves and cuts away the surface to create a subtle contrast between the design and the ground. This is further enhanced by extremely shallow relief carving, resulting in a composition of remarkable clarity and layered visual depth. The workmanship is exceptionally delicate, approaching the ideal described as 'without a trace to the touch,' and reflects the broader transition of bamboo carving in the early Qing period from artisanal craft toward a more literati-oriented aesthetic.Comparable examples include a bamboo wrist rest carved with bamboo branches, signed Zhongyin Banshan, in the collection of the National Palace Museum (accession no. Li 991-7-23/Gugong diao 46/Yuan 2012), formerly in the Qing imperial collection and recorded in the antique storeroom of the Forbidden City when Puyi left the palace. See National Palace Museum Monthly, no. 418 (January 2018), pp. 70-78. Aslo see another related work is a boxwood brush pot carved with prunus and bearing Li Banshan's signature in the Art Museum, Chinese University of Hong Kong (accession no. 1976.0004).清早期 李半山作麻姑獻壽圖筆筒拍品來源：私人紳士收藏此件清前至中期李半山作「中隱半山」款竹雕筆筒，為現存所知同類署款器中之重要例證。作者姓李，名半山，字中隱，號竹窗、臥雲，約活動於清初至中期，為湖北鄂地（今武漢一帶）竹刻名家。其傳世作品稀見，然皆氣息高雅，兼具文人趣味與精湛雕工，殊為可珍。本器以竹材為胎，運用典型之留青陽文技法雕製。作者不去竹青，而因勢留剔，使紋飾與地子形成色澤對比，並輔以極淺浮雕，呈現層次分明之視覺效果。其刀法細膩，幾近「捫之無毫髮跡」，展現清初竹刻由工藝走向文人化之審美取向。參考台北國立故宮博物院所藏中隱半山雕竹竹枝臂擱（麗991-7之23∕故雕46∕院2012），為清宮舊藏，溥儀出宮時收於故宮古董房，並發表於《故宮文物月刊》第418期，pp 70-78；及香港中文大學文物館藏李半山款雕黃楊木梅花筆筒（1976.0004）。 Condition Report: one side with a vertical crack and above the foot chipped