Lot 3670. A fine and rare carved white biscuit 'Two Qiaos' brushpot, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722); 15 cm., 5 7/8  in. Estimate 200,000 — 300,000  HKD. Lot sold 500,000 HKD (59,429 EUR). © Sotheby's

potted with a cylindrical body resting on a splayed tripod base, the exterior carved in relief with the two Qiao daughters elegantly dressed in loose robes and reading a book together, one of them seated on a stool holding the book next to the other reclining on a low couch with a fan in her hand, the couch supporting an archaistic gu beaker with a large leaves and peony blossoms issuing from within alongside two volumes of books, the countersunk base with a recessed square cartouche inscribed with a four-character seal mark reading huyin daoren ('the Daoist hidden in a pot').

Exibition: Gerald Tsang and Hugh Moss, Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Fung Ping Shan Museum, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1986, cat. no. 42.

Note: A bamboo brushpot of this exact design, also from the Robert H. Blumenfield collection, is offered in this series of sales as lot 3027. Carved with the 'Qiao sisters', it is reminiscent of a famous brushpot by Wu Zhifan in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji. Zhu mu ya jiao qi [Complete collection of Chinese art. Bamboo, wood, ivory and rhino], vol. 11, Beijing, 1987, pl. 11. Compare also an example from the collection of Mary and George Bloch, sold in these rooms, 23rd October 2005, lot 4.

The motif is taken from the 14th century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, which tells the story of the two Qiao daughters. Considered great beauties, they were one of the causes of the Battle of the Red Cliff. The depiction of the sisters reading a book was a popular motif and appears in a variety of media.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art, Hong Kong, 07 april 2015