Lot 12. A rare cloisonné enamel 'lotus scroll' brushpot, bitong, 17th century; 16cm (6 1/4in) high. (2). Sold for £21,675 (Estimate £4,000-£6,000). © Bonhams 2001-2022

Finely cast of cylindrical form and supported on a flat base, brightly enamelled around the exterior with a broad band of scrolling lotus picked out in blue, green, yellow and white enamels against a turquoise-blue ground, enclosed within chevron and segmented floret borders, the base enamelled with a yin-yang motif to the centre, framed within lingzhi-form petals and encircled by prunus sprays and cloud scrolls, the foot ring and rim gilt. 

Provenance: Sotheby's New York, 15 March 2017, lot 732.

Published and Illustrated: S.Marsh, Brushpots: A Collector's View, Hong Kong, 2020, pp.152-153.

Note: Cloisonné brushpots dating to the late Ming or early Qing dynasty period are particularly rare. Compare, however, a related slender cylindrical vase or brushpot, Kangxi, in the Brooklyn Museum (acc.no.09.457). Compare also the decoration of lotus with those on a large hu vessel, first half 17th century, illustrated by H.Brinker and A.Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, London, 1989, no.127. A related cloisonné enamel brushpot but with decoration of flowers and insects, 17th century, is illustrated in ibid., no.135.

Bonhams. THE MARSH COLLECTION ART FOR THE LITERATI, 3 November 2022, London, New Bond Street