Ivory Brush Pot with Dragons

The intricately carved reticulated brush pot made of ivory is carved with relief designs of nine dragons. The upper rim is adorned with floral design. The ivory brush pot shows exquisite skills of the craftsman. Ivory is valued as an excellent material for brush pot because of its smooth and jade-like texture. And Chinese people have a long history of making use of ivory for both art and functional objects.
The mouth of the ivory brush pot is inscribed with the words” To President Yun Gong, by Zhang Qixiong.” Yun Gong is He Jian (何键), a general of Kuomintang army. Zhang Qixiong(张其雄) might be an early Chinese Communist Party member.