A smal rock crystal brush washer, 18th-19th century. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2012

Carved in the form of an oval basin with a taotie mask at one end opposite a squatting boy holding onto the rim with both hands at the other end; 2½ in. (6.3 cm.) long, wood stand, box  Estuimate $10,000 - $15,000 

清十八/十九世紀 水晶童子筆洗

Provenance: Gerard Hawthorn Ltd., London, 2004. 

Exhibited: Miniature Oriental Works of Art, Gerard Hawthorn Ltd., London, 4 - 19 November 2004, no. 23. 

Notes: In Symbols and Rebuses in Chinese Art, Berkeley, 2004, p. 54, the author, Fang Jing Pei, discusses the various symbolisms of crystal (shuijing), which include clarity, purity and honor, making crystal a fitting material for scholar's articles, as these were qualities that scholars were to emulate. 

Christie's. Auspicious Treasures for Scholars and Emperors: Selections from the Robert H. Blumenfield Collection, 22 March 2012. New York, Rockefeller Plaza