Lot 329. A rare large well-carved pale greenish-white jade brushpot, bitong, Qianlong period (1736-1795); 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm.) high, 7 5/8 in. (19.5 cm.) diam. Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 - Price Realized: $818 500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2008

Raised on five bracket supports, the sides well carved in relief with a continuous landscape which includes five bearded immortals holding auspicious objects including a peach, a lingzhi sprig, a narcissus plant, a chime and a staff surmounted by a plaque inscribed with a shou character, standing in front of a pavilion, the semi-translucent stone of pale greenish-white color suffused with fine brown markings and some dark brown veins, wood stand.

Provenance: T. B. Kitson, Esq.; Sotheby's, London, 30 May 1961, lot 447.

Note: The present brushpot is among the largest examples in private hands. Another slightly larger brushpot (20.3 cm. diam.) is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, illustrated by M. Wilson, Chinese Jades, London, 2004, no. 64, where it is dated to the Qianlong period. See, also, the white jade brushpot of similar size, from the collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 27 November 2007, lot 1518.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. 17 September 2008. New York, Rockefeller Plaza.