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Hot Desks: Collecting scholar’s desk pieces has never been more exciting, writes Lazarus Halstead
Hot desks
The scholar’s desk has been celebrated in China for 2,000 years. Asian Art specialist Lazarus Halstead reveals why it remains a collector’s favourite
Items that would once have graced the desk of the Chinese literati artist or scholar continue to exert a hold on collectors of Asian art.
And for good reason. Such pieces are well suited to collecting. Created to sit on a desk they are on a scale which makes them easy to store, handle and enjoy. Their practical and artistic function means they also appeal to artists and creative people. But scholar’s objects always balance between two competing attributes: their practical function and their aesthetic value. In the very best scholarly objects these two considerations are often being beautifully and ingeniously aligned.
Above Detail from a painting attributed to Xu Yi (1599 -1669) showing a scholar’s desk with a a painting, waterpot and spoon, inkstone, brush rest, candlestick, brush pot and handled cup. It sold for £1,250 in 2018, all images, unless otherwise stated, courtesy of Chiswick Auctions
EXILED CONTEMPLATION
During times of political strife or changes in power, certain officials were forced to retire from court life and seek refuge in the countryside where they were able to pursue artistic pursuits often influenced by nature.
The romantic ideal of the artistic scholar lived on to the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1644 and 16441911 respectively) a period when fewer court officials were exiled. In emulation of their predecessors, the literati class built studios surrounded by gardens in the cities and suburbs of the major court centres.
These studios were filled with painting and calligraphy tools, furniture, musical instruments, implements for preparing and consuming tea and wine, and antiques.
Many surviving examples of these works of art from the Ming and Qing dynasties were carried out in precious materials, such as lacquer, cloisonné, giltbronze, and the precious woods zitan and huanghuali.
SCHOLAR IN HISTORY
The history of the scholar in China dates back to the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. The Tang dynasty created a system of local schools where scholars could pursue their studies. Those desiring to enter the upper levels of the bureaucracy then competed in the jinshi exams, which tested a candidate’s knowledge of the Confucian classics, as well as history, proficiency in compiling official documents, and inscriptions and music. This nonhereditary elite would eventually become known in the West as “mandarins,” refering to the dialect of Chinese they employed.
THE BRUSH POT
The scholar’s desk immediately brings to mind those things needed to create artwork or other scholarly endeavours. This would include brush pots, brush rests, ink stones, waterpots and paperweights.
The brush pot was intended for the upright storage of brushes and related small items when they are not in use. It is found most commonly in porcelain or wood and may be plain or ornately decorated and carved.
Among collectors of scholarly objects pots of a restrained, pared back aesthetic are particularly well regarded. Huanghuali wood is a material of choice and the finest examples often include ghost-like figures which emerge naturally from knotting of grains within the wood. Bamboo brush pots are also highly sought after where the outer surface of the brush pot may be elaborately carved with a continuous scene such as of figures in a rocky landscape.
Above A portrait of the Qianlong Emperor (1711- 1799) in his study, image Wikicommons media
Above right A scholar’s rock, to be offered at Chiswick Auction’s sale this month with an estimate of £200-£300
Left A 17th-century huanghuali wood brush pot is one of the lots on offer this month at Chiswick Auction’s with an estimate of £1,000£2,000
Below left A portrait of the Qianlong Emperor (1711- 1799) in his study, image Wikicommons media
Right Scholar’s rock, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 19th century, limestone with a wooden stand, image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of New York
Scholar’s rock
Chinese rocks of unusual shape were first collected in the Song dynasty (960-1279). There are two types of rocks: the scholar’s rock, enjoyed indoors, and the garden rock, outdoors. Both were judged on four criteria, their thinness (shou), openness (tou), perforations (lou), and wrinkling (zhou). Many rocks when struck with metal will emit a bright, bell-like tone and the best examples can be viewed from several different angles.
Especially prized are stones sculpted naturally by processes of erosion. Such rocks are generally displayed on end, mounted on a wooden stand, which should be carved without too much detail.
Rock-and-tree-paintings
Rocks were also admired for their resemblance to mountains or caves, particularly the magical peaks and subterranean paradises (grotto-heavens) believed to be inhabited by immortal beings. Some rocks were appreciated for their resemblance to animals, birds, human figures, or mythical creatures.
Rock-and-tree paintings soon developed linking fantastically-shaped rocks with the symbolic meanings of certain plants – such as a pine tree (meaning longevity), bamboo (representing purity), peonies and hollyhocks (signifying wealth and high rank).
Taihu rocks, associated with the area around Lake Tai, near Suzhou, are especially valued for their large irregular shapes. A variety of dark-coloured resonant rock is called lingbi, prized for its favourable combination of form and texture.
DRAW OF NATURE
Nature was a constant source of inspiration for the Chinese artist, and desk items are intended to remind and inspire the scholar not only by recreating or simulating nature but often by bringing it physically into the human world. Nature may be brought under control (through domestication of animals, or through growing bonsai trees), or it may provide a source of inspiration (through highlighting the natural qualities of objects).
One example is the cricket cage – a receptacle which allows nature in its live form to be brought into the study for personal enjoyment. Examples made from moulded gourds represent a parallel engagement with nature where a gourd is pressed into a mould as it grows on the vine to form the shape of a useful receptacle with moulded decoration, and is then mounted with a cover.
Left A Qing dynasty (1644–1911) moulded gourd cricket cage, to be offered at the same sale with an estimate of £1,000-£2,000
Right A dreamstone plaque from a twoscreen panel
Below right Detail of a Qing dynasty (1644–1911) Dai dreamstone plaque, which sold for £1,250 in September
Below A handscroll by a follower of Ma Shuying has an estimate £800£1,200 in this month’s sale
Dreamstone panels
These panels are sheets of marble selected for their coloured veining that could be polished to draw out the outline of mountains or animal shapes.
In this case representational art derives from the natural patterns of nature. Such panels are incorporated into furniture elements including chairs, tables and table screens.
PAINTINGS AND THE SCHOLAR’S DESK
Scholars or ladies seated at a desk are a popular subject of Chinese painting, providing practising artists, calligraphers or aspiring scholars practical clues to the physical arrangement of objects.
But such paintings are also a category of scholarly objects in their own right. While we find depictions of hanging scrolls being strung up on sticks and enjoyed in the open air, albums and handscrolls also benefitted from the support of the solid flat surface of a desk, especially handscrolls which are unrolled by degrees and viewed gradually, section by section.
Lazarus Halstead is the head of Asian art at Chiswick Auctions which holds its two-day sale of fine Chinese paintings and Asian art on November 18-19. For more details on the upcoming sale go to www.chiswickauctions.com
