Juliette Hammer
Sale Coordinator
Lot 32
A CARVED BAMBOO 'ODE TO THE RED CLIFFS' BRUSHPOT, BITONG 17th/18th century
14 May 2025, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£2,000 - £3,000
Ask about this lot
Chen Xie
Specialist
Edward Luper
Specialist, Chinese Works of Art
Lazarus Halstead
Head of Chinese and Asian Art, London
A CARVED BAMBOO 'ODE TO THE RED CLIFFS' BRUSHPOT, BITONG
17th/18th century
Deeply carved with a continuous scene depicting Su Shi and his companions travelling on the Yangtze River, the boat passing by pine and overhanging rocks amongst swirling waters, approaching the dramatically rendered Red Cliffs, the vessel of deep reddish brown hue.
13.3cm (5 1/4in) high.
Deeply carved with a continuous scene depicting Su Shi and his companions travelling on the Yangtze River, the boat passing by pine and overhanging rocks amongst swirling waters, approaching the dramatically rendered Red Cliffs, the vessel of deep reddish brown hue.
13.3cm (5 1/4in) high.
Footnotes
十七/十八世紀 竹雕遊赤壁圖筆筒
The present lot depicts Su Dongpo's outing when he composed 'Ode to the Red Cliffs', a masterpiece of Chinese prose, blending history, philosophy, and lyrical beauty. Written during his exile in Huangzhou, the work reflects on the transient nature of life through the imagery of the Yangtze River and the legendary Battle of the Red Cliffs. As he sails beneath the moonlit cliffs, Su contrasts the fleeting existence of mortals with the eternal flow of nature, finding solace in Daoist ideals of detachment and harmony. His poetic meditation captures both the grandeur of history and the quiet acceptance of life's impermanence. Compare with a closely related 'Ode to the Red Cliffs' bamboo brushpot in the Shanghai Museum, which is illustrated in Literati Spirit: Art of Chinese Bamboo Carving, Shanghai, 2001, p.46, pl.13.
See also a carved bamboo 'Red Cliffs' brushpot, 17th century, which was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 2 December 2021, lot 66.