A FINE BAMBOO CARVED INCENSE TOOL VASE

17th/18th century

17th/18th century
The hollowed vessel naturalistically carved as a craggy cliff with gnarled pine trees sheltering a bearded sage with long flowing robes, the underside with an ink two-character inscription Fang [...], hongmu stand.
10.4cm (4 1/8in) high. (2).

十七/十八世紀 竹雕松下高士香插

Provenance:
Spink & Son Ltd., London
Mrs G. N. Parry (1923-2013), London, acquired from the above on 10 December 1964, and thence by descent

來源：
倫敦古董商Spink & Son Ltd.
倫敦G. N. Parry夫人（1923-2013）舊藏，於1964年12月10日購自上者，並由後人保存迄今

The motif of the lone sage in nature is entirely in keeping with hermetic literati ideals. Compare with a related bamboo tool vase, signed [Wu] Chifan, 17th/18th century, carved with Liuhai below a pine tree, illustrated by Spink & Son Ltd., Bamboo and Wood Carvings of China and the East, London, 1979, no.17.

松下高士乃傳統文人題材，以遺世獨立之風骨表現文人逸士之高潔志趣，寄寓了回歸自我的理想生活狀態。參考一例十七/十八世紀竹雕香插，外壁刻劉海倚於樹下，收錄於Spink & Son Ltd.，《Bamboo and Wood Carvings of China and the East》，倫敦，1979年，編號17。