China, 1736-1795. The massive and heavy vessel is of cylindrical form raised on five ogee-bracket feet, the exterior superbly carved and undercut with scholars and boy attendants engaged in various leisurely pursuits in a mountainous landscape with pine, wutong, palm trees, and a pavilion. The translucent stone of a deep green tone with black speckles and few cloudy white inclusions.

Provenance: From a French private collection.
Condition: Excellent condition with only minor wear and possibly small nicks or losses here and there, which may have smoothened over time.

Weight: 2,140 g
Dimensions: Height 15.5 cm, Diameter 13 cm

With an associated silk box and cover. (2)

Impressive for its large size, heavy weight and skillfully carved high relief scene that unravels like a scroll painting with each turn of the vessel, this brush pot is a fine example of the level of expertise achieved in this medium during the Qianlong period. It is carefully composed to depict an animated group of scholars and their assistants engaged in various activities in a lofty landscape. An ethereal and distant world is skillfully captured through the undercutting of the outlines of the rocks and figures, which create dramatic and mysterious contrasts.

The decoration of this piece follows in the tradition of Chinese painting with the surface of the vessel treated as a horizontal scroll. With each turn of the pot a scene in the narrative appears, thus making it an object that can be appreciated from different angles. Brushpots were essential tools for the literati and grew in popularity under the Qianlong emperor, who considered himself a great classical scholar, poet, calligrapher and art connoisseur. Apart from his scholarly interests, Qianlong also saw himself as the religious leader of the empire. The subject matter of the retired scholar was one he particularly favored, revealing his desire to combine his personal and private inspirations with his public image.

Literature comparison: A spinach green jade brushpot carved with a similar motif was included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1975, cat. no. 415, together with one, from the collections of E.L. Paget, Sir J. Buchanan-Jardine, Sir Bernard Eckstein and Sir Jonathan Woolf, cat. no. 413, later included in the exhibition of The Woolf Collection of Chinese Jade, Sotheby’s, London, 2013, cat. no. 45. Also compare another similar brushpot in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated op. cit., 1995, pl. 170.

Auction result comparison: Compare a near-identical brushpot, also carved and undercut with a continuous scholarly scene, at Sotheby’s New York, in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, on 18 March 2008, lot 16, sold for USD 433,000. Note the remarkable similarity of the pavilion and palm trees found on both the present lot and this example.

乾隆時期碧玉文人場景筆筒
中國，1736-1795年。筆筒呈圓柱體，五足，外壁雕刻文人場景。文士們似在飲酒做對問禪，四周松、梧桐、芭蕉、亭台圍繞。深綠色的半透明玉料，帶有黑色斑點和少量白色絮狀内沁。

來源：法國私人收藏。
品相：狀況極好，只有輕微磨損，小劃痕或缺損，隨著時間的推移已經變得平滑。

重量：2,140 克
尺寸：高15.5 厘米, Diameter 13 厘米

配置絲盒。 (2)

此筆筒體積大、重量重，雕工精湛，宛如一幅卷軸，令人贊嘆不已，這是乾隆時期在玉雕方面傑出水平的典範。筆筒外壁描繪了一群充滿活力的學者和他們的童僕，在山水中游玩。通過對岩石和人物輪廓的雕琢，巧妙地捕捉到一個空靈的世界，形成戲劇性和神秘性的對比。

這件作品的裝飾藉鑒了中國畫的傳統，將器皿的表面處理成水平捲軸。每每轉動一圈，就會改變場景，從而可以從不同角度欣賞它。筆筒是文人墨客的必備工具，在乾隆皇帝的影響下越來越受歡迎，乾隆自稱是一位偉大的古典學者、詩人、書法家和藝術鑑賞家。除了他的學術興趣，乾隆還認為自己是宗教領袖。這類隱者文士的題材尤其爲他所喜歡，體現了他希望將個人靈感與公眾形象結合起來的願望。

文獻比較：一件碧玉筆筒，相似紋樣，可見於Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages, 倫敦Victoria and Albert Museum博物館, 1975, 目錄415, 還有分別來自E.L. Paget、J. Buchanan-Jardine爵士、Bernard Eckstein 爵士與Jonathan Woolf爵士收藏，目錄 413, 之後還參展於倫敦蘇富比的The Woolf Collection of Chinese Jade的2013年的展覽, 目錄號 45. 還有另一件見北京故宮博物院 1995, 圖170。

拍賣結果比較：一件幾乎一模一樣的文人場景筆筒，見紐約蘇富比Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2008年3月18日 lot 16, 售價USD 433,000。值得注意的是，在這兩件筆筒上都能看到十分相似的亭臺和芭蕉樹。