A 'Three Friends of Winter' smoky rock crystal brushpot, Late Qing Dynasty. Photo courtesy Bonhams.

The grey-toned crystal carved as a hollowed bamboo shaft with two smaller shoots of bamboo carved in relief beside a branch of flowering prunus and another of gnarled pine, wood stand. 23cm (9in) high (2). Estimate £8,000 - 12,000 (€9,600 - 14,000). Unsold

Provenance: a Swiss private collection

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART. London, New Bond Street. 7 Nov 2013 - www.bonhams.com