Lot 364. A superb and rare blue and white brushrest, Tianshun period (1457-1464); 18.5 cm wide (2). Sold for HK$121,600 (Est: HK$100 000 - $150 000) © Bonhams 2001-2025
 

Robustly potted in the form of a crescent-shaped mountain ridge with five prominent peaks, vividly painted on one side with a sage in a grassy mountainous setting, surrounded by huts amidst swirling cloud scrolls, the other side depicted with two heavenly horses and a celestial deer amidst turbulent waves and undulating clouds, all in rich tones of deep and soft cobalt blue, fitted box.

Note: Fluently painted with an immortal among scrolling clouds and auspicious animals riding on tempestuous waves, the present brushrest is an extremely rare example of scholarly porcelain from the Tianshun reign.

The Tianshun reign is the final stage of the Interregnum – a twenty-eight-year period that followed the death of the Xuande Emperor and the Tumu Crisis, which interrupted the relatively peaceful era of the early Ming dynasty. During the Interregnum, imperial porcelain production was significantly affected by the chaos; however, the kilns continued to operate throughout this time. Unlike previous periods, the imperial porcelain produced during this specific era did not carry any formal reign marks, presenting a significant challenge for academic research. Nevertheless, recent discoveries have enabled scholars to examine the distinct characteristics of different reigns, resulting in a deeper understanding of the Interregnum.

One of the key traits of blue and white porcelain produced during the Tianshun period is the painterly clouds, characterised by densely scribbled scales contrasting with bold brushstrokes of swirls. The artisan of the present example elevated this design element by employing imported cobalt only on the vibrant outlines, resulting in a vivid design that retains much of the fine details painted in washes made from local blue pigment. Compare a blue and white fragmentary dish, similarly painted in contrasting strokes of blue with immortals among scrolling clouds, inscribed on its base with a date equivalent to the third year of the Tianshun period (1459), included in Lü Chenglong, Zhongguo gutaoci kuanzhi (Inscriptions on ancient Chinese ceramics), Beijing, 2023, p. 86, fig. 96.

Two closely related examples of this curved mountain range form are known. The first example is an underglaze-blue-and-red brushrest formerly in the collection of Sir Percival David, now in the British Museum, London, accession no. PDF,B.642, illustrated in Stacey Pierson, Illustrated Catalogue of Underglaze Blue and Copper Red Decorated Porcelains in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 2004, p. 86, no. B642. The concave side of the London brushrest features a relief showing two people in a sampan encountering an immortal on an islet amidst turbulent waves. The museum attributes it, however, to the 16th century. The Guangdong Museum houses a russet-painted mountain-form brushrest dated to the eighth year of the Zhengtong period (1443), possibly from the Cizhou kilns in the north, illustrated on the Museum's official website.