J.J. Lally & Co., Oriental Art / New York City, New York

Tang Zu (湯組, active circa 1700), zi 又綦 Youqi, was a scholar, painter and calligrapher from Taiping, Anhui province. He is recorded in the 1915 compendium by Li, Zhongguo yishujia zhenglue (Short Biographies of Chinese Artists) as “good at carving old wood roots into figures, birds and animals,” noting that “once in the hand they are difficult to put down.” The same information is repeated by Yu in Zhongguo meishujia renming cidian (Dictionary of Chinese Artist Names), Shanghai, 1981, with the source cited as by Hong in the 1815 publication Ningguo fu zhi (Gazette of the Ningguo fu), while the Zhongguo lidai shuhua zhuanke jia zi hao suoyin (Index of the zi and hao Chinese Painter, Calligrapher, and Seal Carver through the Dynasties), Taipei, 1980, adds that he worked during the Kangxi period (1662-1722).

The pair of magpies on a blossoming plum branch at one side of the trunk are emblematic of Spring and, as rebus, brings to mind the auspicious wish: “May you have happiness before your eyes” (喜上眉梢, xi shang mei shao).

The superb quality of the carving combined with the signature and seals of an early Qing dynasty scholar-artist make this a masterpiece and a great rarity. Tang Zu is recorded as a master carver and boxwood seals and other objects for the scholar’s table. No other brush pot bearing his signature is recorded.