Pu Zhongqian’s bamboo brush holder

[Pu Zhongqian Bamboo Penholder]

Bamboo Penholder, made by Pu Zhongqian in the Ming Dynasty, is 14.6 cm high and 6.9 cm in diameter
The pen holder is round, tall and elegant, the mouth edge is slightly inward inclined, the transition is smooth, and the foot curls slightly convex. The body is embossed with a bunch of broken bamboo branches, and the rest are left blank. The bamboo leaves overlap on many sides, but the perspective relationship is very difficult to deal with clearly, and the insect erosion marks on the details of the leaves are even more vivid. The depiction is full of momentum, and the overall effect is like a double hook of ink lines. It is like the method of Li Heng, a famous bamboo painter in the Song Dynasty. Next to the bamboo branch, there is an inscription in the official script “Zhong Qian’s hand cure”
“Zhongqian” refers to Pu Zhongqian, a bamboo carving artist in the late Ming Dynasty. Pu’s carving features are unique, and there are comments: “Those who are happy about it must use the bamboo to be knotted and knotted, and take it as a surprise not to use the knife and axe, and then get a high price by slightly scraping it with his hands.” He attaches importance to the selection of materials, carving according to the shape, and the simplicity of the knife method is his usual practice, which is quite different from the style of “Jiading Sanzhu”, which focuses on fine carving and multi-layer and profound carving, Therefore, Jin Yuanyu in the Qing Dynasty listed Pu as the founder of the “Jinling School”, which is also known as the “Jiading School”, in the Bamboo Record. The style of this piece is exquisite, and the knife is played carefully. Although it is different from Pu’s true color, it is still a fine piece.

竹雕竹枝笔筒局部