A GILT-DECORATED BLACK LACQUER BAMBOO BRUSHPOT, BITONG17th/18th century The bamboo vessel coated in a dark-brown lacquer of dark-chocolate tone and meticulously incised around the exterior with a profusion of plum blossoms issuing from gnarled trunks, bamboo and rocks, with four birds with exquisite plumage with gilt decoration, the grooved mouth rim with floral scrolls, the interior lacquered red, the base lacquered with a marbled faux bois design. 16.4cm (6 1/2in) high. 十七/十八世紀 黑漆填金竹刻花鳥紋筆筒 The present lot is replete with auspicious symbolism and wordplay. The theme of magpies ( xique 喜鵲), a homophone for 'happiness' ( xi 喜), on top ( shang 上) of prunus branches ( meishao 梅梢), which puns with 'eyebrows' ( meishao 眉梢) forms a rebus for the blessing, 'May happiness reach up to your eyebrows' (喜上眉梢). The design appears to be related to woodblock prints of flowers and birds, such as the Shizhuzhai shuhua pu (Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Calligraphy and Painting), published by Hu Zhengyan (1584-1674) and printed between 1619 and 1633. The increasing availability of illustrated woodblock printed books, including pharmaceutical literature dealing with plants and their medicinal properties, helped facilitate their introduction as designs on brushpots such as the present lot. The technique of incising in black lacquer can be seen on an unusual incised two-tier black and coloured lacquer cylindrical box and cover, 18th century, also decorated with birds and prunus, illustrated by M.Hughes, An Important Collection of Chinese, Korean and Ryukyuan Lacquer , New York, p.73, no.58.