The Dr Grice Collection Of Chinese Bamboo And Scholars’ Objects - 10th November 2026
Lot 15
A CHINESE PIERCED BAMBOO ‘QIAO SISTERS' BRUSHPOT, BITONG
Estimate £1,500 - £2,500
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Description
A CHINESE PIERCED BAMBOO ‘QIAO SISTERS' BRUSHPOT, BITONG
17TH CENTURY
Of cylindrical form, carved and pierced with a scene of the Qiao sisters examining a scroll, with a third figure, probably Cao Cao (or his envoy) standing at respectful distance, all amidst jagged rocks and pine trees, signed Zhong Lian above the foot, and raised on three short feet 14.5cm.
Provenance: from the collection of Dr John William Hawksley Grice OBE (1891–1976) and thence by descent.
The Qiao sisters, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, daughters of the scholar Qiao Gong of Wan County, are renowned in both history and legend. Married to Sun Ce and Zhou Yu of the Wu kingdom, they were immortalised in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms as paragons of beauty and virtue whose grace was said to influence the fate of empires. Their depiction on bamboo exemplifies the literati’s appreciation for refined subject matter, where natural material and historical romance combine to evoke elegance and poetic sentiment.
十七世紀 竹雕二喬並讀筆筒
來源：John William Hawksley Grice 醫生(1891–1976)收藏，之後由家人繼承。